Q: How many people serve on the Board?
A. The Montgomery Board of Education is composed of nine members.
Q. How long does each board member serve?
A. Each seat on the Board is a three-year term.
Q. How are Board members chosen?
A. Board members are elected in April of every year. Each year, three of the nine Board seats are up for election.
Q. How can I run for the Board?
A. Candidates must gather 10 signatures from registered voters. Candidates must also be Montgomery residents. Applications must be filed 50 days prior to the election. The next election is April 20, 2004, and candidates must file by March 1, 2004. For more information, see the Montgomery Town Clerk's office.
Q. Do Board members run under a party affiliation (Democrat, Republican, etc.)?
A. I don't know. But don't confuse the Board of Education with the Montgomery Town Council. The latter seems to involve candidates running under a particular party banner.
Q. What does the Board of Education do?
A. They set policies, approve budgets, approve hiring decisions for administrators, plan for future growth, etc. They aren't involved in the everyday operation of the schools.
Q. Who is the superintendent? How did he get his job? How long does he serve for?
A. The current superintendent is Dr. Stuart Schnur. He was appointed by the Board in 2001. Therefore, I am assuming that the superintendent is always appointed, not elected. I also assume that he serves in the position unless and until the Board chooses to replace him (or he leaves of his own accord). Similarly, the Board seems to appoint the assistant superintendent and various school principals. These appointments seem to be in consultation with the Superintendent (i.e., the Superintendent recommends a person for a stafff position and the Board votes on it).
Q. Does the Board hire teachers?
A. Not to my knowledge. Teacher hiring decisions seem to be handled by the school administrators (Superintendent and Principals). I assume the Board can set policies, such as qualifications, etc., but they don't seem to be directly involved with hiring. That said, they approve the budget, which usually includes specific line items for hiring different teachers in different academic disciplines.
Q. When does the Board meet?
A. It meets several times a month as published on the Board web site.
Q. Whenever I go to Board meetings, why does it seem like the decisions have already been made in advance?
A. Because they often are. Many decisions are made at working meetings that are separate from the better-known voting meetings. Furthermore, the Board often considers issues over many months or even years. If you show up at the last meeting where they are taking a vote and hope to influence the process, it is probably too late.