New legislation in the state Senate would require public school board members to undergo educational training.
The training would cover things like conflicts of interest, school finance and labor relations.
Democratic State Sen. Dayna Polehanki introduced the measure.
“Anyone who has been in education has heard stories about things that perhaps board members have done that could have been easily avoided had they had basic training,” she says.
Polehanki adds that the training is a good way to ensure board members are making informed decisions.
Board members who refuse to take the training would have their names posted on public school websites — listing them as “noncompliant.”
“These are elected officials,” she says. “They are not going to be fired. It would just be listed for the public so the public can make informed choices.”
If passed, board members would be required to take training starting in November of 2020.