Board of Education

The main function of the Board of Education, as an agency of the State of Illinois, is to adopt goals and policies that support student achievement, maintain fiscal integrity, and establish open, respectful transparent communications. The Board carries out these functions by doing the following:

• Hiring and evaluating the Superintendent of Schools.

• Authorizing employment of staff members and setting salaries.

• Setting educational goals and monitoring district performance.

• Authorizing curriculum development and revision.

• Establishing district-wide policies and evaluating their effectiveness.

• Adopting and monitoring a responsible budget that supports the educational goals and maintains financial stability.


Illinois school boards consist of seven members elected to serve terms of four years.  Members are elected during the Consolidated Elections held on the first Tuesday in April of each odd-numbered year. (If that date conflicts with Passover, the election moves to the second Tuesday.) Terms of members are staggered so there are three or four seats contested at each biennial election.

Board Member Training

Each Illinois school board member who is elected or appointed to fill a vacancy of at least one year’s duration must receive professional development leadership training (PDLT) and Open Meetings Act (OMA) training. Mandatory training is also required upon Performance Evaluation Reform Act implementation in each school district. For additional information, see Board policy 2:120, Board Member Development.

The following table contains mandatory and non-mandatory training and development activities that were completed by each Board member.

Board Member Workshops

Board Self Evaluation: Practices and Procedures and Professional Ethics

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) is a voluntary organization of local boards of education dedicated to strengthening the Illinois public schools through local citizen control. Although not a part of State government, IASB is organized by member school boards as a private not-for-profit corporation under authority granted by Article 23 of the School Code. The vision of IASB is excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education.

For more information regarding IASB and its programs, visit www.iasb.com (opens in a new window).