About

California Area Board of School Directors and Administration work in partnership to provide a sound system of education in the California School District.

Membership

The Board of School Directors is made up of nine citizens elected to serve four-year terms. Pennsylvania law requires that board members be 18 years of age, live in the district at least one year, and not hold another public office. State law does not limit the number of terms a member may serve. School board members are not paid for their services to the community.

Superintendent of Schools

The Superintendent of Schools is the chief executive officer of the board and is responsible to administer board policies concerning the operation of the schools. The Superintendent addresses the board regarding the needs and programs of the schools, and recommends board action relating to personnel, selection of textbooks and instructional materials, development of curriculum, school plant planning and maintenance, and financial affairs.

Function

The local board sets policies within the framework of the state school code. In effect, the Board of School Directors is the legislative branch of the school district. It defines the policies, which are carried out by the school staff. All decisions must meet state standards.

The Board can:

Adopt texts
Approve curriculum
Appoint and dismiss personnel
Levy taxes adopt an annual budget
Purchase, sell, or condemn land
Create or increase indebtedness within strict state guidelines
Maintain school property

Meetings

The School Board of Directors regularly meets on the third Wednesday of each month in a public setting to vote on policies, rules, and other matters. The Board also meets on the second Monday of each month to discuss the items on the agenda for the voting meeting. Meetings may be rescheduled, relocated, or extended if need be.

The community's attendance at these meetings is not only welcome, but it is encouraged. Your presence at meetings gives the board members information about the community's interests. Because your comments and questions are so valued, at each meeting, the public may ask questions directly to the board or give much-desired feedback. For more complicated matters, please submit your request to the Superintendent of Schools prior to the regularly scheduled meeting so that research or consulting may be done. In situations where there is a large audience and many people interested in expressing their views, the Board may adopt rules to allow all to speak and all points-of-view to be heard and appropriately deliberated.

When Addressing the Board:

Introduce yourself by standing and stating your name and place of residence.
Present your ideas, concerns, suggestions and/or commendations to the Board in a clear, concise manner.
A written copy of your comments would assist the Board and would provide a record of your statements.

Executive Sessions

The Board may meet privately in executive sessions for the specific purposes of discussing matters of personnel, negotiation or arbitration, the purchase and lease of real estate property, to discuss litigation or issues on identifiable complaints or to discuss business, which enables items protected by lawful privilege or confidentiality. Executive sessions may be conducted during an open meeting, held at the conclusion of an open meeting, or announced at an open meeting.