School Board Chairmen and School Superintendents: An analysis of perceptions concerning special interest groups and educational governance

This study focuses on the perceptions of Virginia school board chairmen and superintendents as they relate to local governance issues. These perceptions provide great insight into the problems faced by Virginia school boards—both elected and appointed—in the aftermath of a 1992 law allowing communities to shift from appointed to elected school boards. All superintendents and school board chairman in the state were surveyed on the following topics: their perceptions concerning school board members’ orientations toward their role as representatives (trustee vs. delegate), their personal attitudes concerning the electoral process, their assessment of interest group involvement in district decision-making, their feelings concerning the public’s support of school district policies, and their evaluation of the level of tension between the superintendent and the school board.