A school board is an elected body which has the direct and immediate responsibility under state law for providing a state-sponsored public education to the students of a given local school district.  Amendment X of the U.S. Constitution reserves the power to establish a public education system to the states.

School boards are governed by Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes.  These laws are the frame of reference within which every school board must operate.

A school district is a political subdivision of the state and a municipal corporation. Its school board is a governing board, charged with carrying out the state's responsibility in providing a free public education to every student.

The superintendent of schools is the executive officer of the school board. The superintendent is appointed and employed by the school board.

Most school boards have five members who are each elected to five year terms, one of which comes up for election every year. Some school districts (Shawnee) have seven members, and elementary districts (districts containing only elementary schools) have three members. If a school district has 1,800 or more students, each board member must be elected from a specific election district within the school district but is voted upon at large.

To share a concern about Shawnee Public Schools, it is always best to start with a student's teacher and/or the building administrator.

It is the proper function of the superintendent and/or other appropriate administrator to deal with administrative matters, while the school board establishes policy. Patron concerns are most successfully addressed at the level where they begin, and may be carried through the appropriate channels if not resolved. For instance, if a parent is concerned about a particular classroom problem, the parent should first schedule a conference with the teacher about the concern. If the parent is not satisfied with the results of this conference, he or she should take the concern to the "next level," such as the principal, then, if necessary, to the next administrative level, then finally, to the superintendent. If this effort does not produce the desired results, and if the board allows a designated time for public comments, then the parent may request to address the board according to local school board policy. School boards must operate under the Open Meeting Act; therefore, the board cannot take action on any requests until a specific item is placed upon the agenda of a subsequent properly-noticed meeting.

School board members can act only as a collective body - they have no policy-making power outside of the school board meeting and cannot take action as individuals. Therefore, it is best for a concerned  parent or other patron to "start at the beginning."

To contact any school board member, call the Shawnee Board of Education office at (405) 273-0653 to leave a message.

Annual school board elections are conducted by the county election board of the county in which the school district administration building is located.

The school board designates, by appropriate resolution the office or offices to be filled. The order in which these offices are set is specified by law.

The state election board provides the poll books and ballots. The school district reimburses the county election board for expenses incurred on the same basis as the charges prescribed by law for city elections.

School board elections are subject to state election laws. Questions about these laws should be directed to the county election board of the county in which the school district's administration building is located. 

Candidates for school board elections must file the first week in December between the hours  of 8 a.m. Monday through 5 p.m. Wednesday.

• School board members are elected by the registered voters living within the local school district boundaries.

• School board members are not paid for their services.

• A school board is a policy-making body, not an administrative one.  It is not charged with the day-to-day operation of a school. A school board employs a superintendent to carry out the day-to-day operations of the school district.

• School board members have no authority to make decisions outside of an official school board meeting.  In other words, they only have power as a "body." They are not authorized to take personal  or "unilateral" action (an individual board member cannot change bus routes, investigate teachers' grading practices, or get students' schedules changed, etc.)

• A school board is a governing body - it adopts school  policies, rules, and regulations (within the limitations of the School Laws of Oklahoma).

• A school board's actions are governed by law, so it is limited in power even as a body. A board cannot take action on an item which does not appear on the agenda. Such an action would be a violation of the Open Meeting Law, which requires that advance notice of all items and actions taken at a meeting appear on the meeting agenda. School boards are required to follow very closely the requirements of the Open Meeting Law.

• School board members are committed to policies which benefit the entire school district and not to "single issue" agendas.

• A school board is the democratically-controlled agency  of government. Registered voters living within the boundaries of a local school district elect representatives to the school board to adopt policies for the school district's organization and administration. The voters maintain control of their school district through their vote.