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Description
The purpose of this study was to investigate school board relevancy in the 21st century through their behavior and decision making in the fiscal environment of California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), specifically through the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which consciously links student achievement and funding. The perception of school board presidents and community, as represented by the superintendents and DAC/DELAC Chairpersons, were explored through interviews of all three groups and review of school board meeting minutes and LCAP records to determine if perception and implementation coincided. Based on this research, school boards appear to be on the right path to implementing LCAP-related policies and goals, which have the potential to influence student learning and achievement in significant ways. However, data also suggest that the districts and charters studied possess differing levels of understanding of LCAP and LCFF and require additional education in the LCAP, as well as in their knowledge of effective teaching practices, the role of professional development in supporting student achievement, data, understanding goal measurements, and their role in supporting student achievement. The definitive test of school board relevance, as it applies to implementation of LCAP, requires allowing time for districts/charters to increasingly improve their development, implementation, and assessment of LCAP. Only politics and time will decide if LCFF, which supports research based practices for school policy and leadership, will continue on track to provide a mechanism solidifying school boards' role in running public school systems, thus confirming their relevancy in the 21st century.
