Appointment Vs. Election

Appointment Vs. Election

Defenders of appointed school boards insist that the most highly qualified candidates would not submit themselves to the trials and expenses of election campaigns. They argue that board members running for election would be beholden to special interest groups or would exploit emotional issues to the detriment of school operations. Proponents maintain that the appointing authority should be held fully responsible to the people for the actions of the school board since public education is a function of local government.

Those who advocate popular election of school board members argue that citizens take more interest in the schools when issues are dramatized in an election campaign. They maintain that elected boards are more accountable and responsible to the public and claim that appointed board members owe allegiance to those who appoint them rather than to the school system or to the public. They caution that appointment of board members can become part of a patronage system.