Ohio’s public school board members, one of the largest groups of elected officials in the state, are charged with one of the major responsibilities in government — to provide the best educational opportunities possible for the youth of Ohio and to manage and control the political subdivision of the school district. OSBA seeks to raise the profile of boardmanship and encourage high-caliber candidates to run for office. Visit Get On Board Ohio for resources to encourage effective and representative school boards that meet the challenges of the diverse districts they represent.
What does a school board member do?
The broadest definition of a school board’s role is that it acts as the governance team for the school district. It is important that the board is a positive and responsible liaison between the school district and community. School boards adopt policy and oversee the district’s policy manual. The board’s most important roles are to:
- employ the superintendent and treasurer;
- work closely with them to establish and set policy, vision and long-range goals;
- be accountable for the fiscal health and opportunities provided to the district’s students and families.
A board member legally cannot act independently of the board. The board as a body directs the district through actions at meetings that are open to the public. Once a board’s decision has been made, each board member should support the board. When in the community, board members should be good listeners. However, individual board members don’t have the authority to make promises on behalf of the board.
Board members do not evaluate staff, other than the superintendent and treasurer, nor do they typically become involved in employment interviews, other than those of the superintendent, treasurer and, if the district has one, business manager. Board members may be consulted during the hiring process for other positions, such as the assistant superintendent.
Effective school board members:
- Know that they can legally act as a board member only when the board of education is in session. No single person can act for the board. No board member, unless authorized, should speak on behalf of the board.
- Avoid administrative decisions. The superintendent is the chief administrator, and the board has no administrative function.
- Are well acquainted with school policies.
- Vote at all times in the best interests of the school district.
- Remember that board business often requires confidentiality, especially in processes involving students, personnel, land acquisition, negotiations and security.
- Are interested in obtaining facts but also remember that the administration is responsible for operating the schools and cannot spend all its time making reports to an individual board member.
- Know that the reputation of the entire school district is reflected in their behavior and attitude.
In order to run for the board, you must be:
• a U.S. citizen,
• at least 18 years old,
• a resident of the state for at least 30 days preceding the election,
• a resident of the school district for at least 30 days preceding the election,
• registered to vote in the school district for at least 30 days preceding the election.
Conflicts of interest
There are conflicts of interest restrictions all board members must comply with to avoid breaking the law or jeopardizing their reputation or that of the school district. Those restrictions are included in Title 33 of the Ohio Revised Code, which governs the operations of schools, and in criminal statutes enforced by the Ohio Ethics Commission (OEC). If you are a public employee or officeholder, a position on a board of education may be incompatible with your current position. Before seeking election, potential candidates should make certain they are eligible to serve. For a review of the applicable laws in this area, please see OEC’s conflict of interest document.
Deciding to run
You can obtain an election packet from your county board of elections office that includes the necessary forms and petitions required to become a candidate. These forms can be downloaded from the Ohio secretary of state’s website.
Filing your petition
A candidate must file a petition to run for a seat on a board of education. This nominating petition must be filed with the county board of elections by 4 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2025, the 90th day before the November general election (RC 3513.254, 3513.255). If a school district is in more than one county, the petition is filed with the board of elections in the most populous county of the school district. For candidates for positions on the governing board of an educational service center (ESC) that is located in more than one county, the petition is filed with the board of elections in the county where the ESC’s central administrative offices are located. As of April 2025, the filing fees are $30.
Campaigning
After filing your petition, it’s time to begin gathering support. Candidates for boards of education run their campaigns in a variety of ways. Some campaigns are conducted primarily by word-of-mouth. Others are large-scale campaigns, with many signs, appearances and fundraisers. Each candidate decides how to structure their campaign.
Candidates who want to receive campaign contributions and/or make campaign expenditures are required to form a campaign committee and must track all campaign contributions and expenditures. A candidate’s ability to solicit contributions and spend campaign funds is heavily regulated by state law.
Finally, it’s important to note that most candidates for boards of education are required to periodically file an itemized statement of campaign contributions and expenditures with their county board of elections. Candidates for a board of education of a school district or ESC having a total student enrollment of 12,000 or more must also file a financial disclosure statement with OEC.
Election
Members are elected on a nonpartisan ballot on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November in odd-numbered years. The term of office is four years, although in certain instances two-year terms must be filled to complete an unexpired term. When elected, your term begins on the first day of January after the election and expires on Dec. 31 in your final year. Most boards of education have five members; however, some larger districts have seven. Two members (or four on a seven-member board) are elected at one general election and three members are elected at a general election two years later.
What is the Ohio School Boards Association?
The Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) was founded in 1955 to serve the needs of the state’s local boards of education. The non-partisan, not-for-profit association’s mission is to lead the way to educational excellence by serving Ohio’s public school board members and the diverse districts they represent through superior service, unwavering advocacy and creative solutions.
OSBA is an association of member boards of education. Members have a wide range of services available to them, including training, advocacy, legal assistance, administrator searches and policy development, among others.
For more information about school board governance, contact OSBA at (614) 540-4000 or (800) 589-OSBA.