Each school district is governed by a board of education. Under state law, school board members are state officers who carry out the state's educational obligations at the local level. The primary function of the board of education is to oversee the education of people in the community. Educational programs conducted at the elementary, middle and high school levels are most familiar. Under Michigan law, a board of education has the ultimate responsibility for school district operations. Among other things, the Revised School Code gives each board of education general powers to:
*Educate students.
*Provide for the safety and welfare of students.
*Acquire and dispose of school property.
*Determine matters relating to school employees and contractors.
*Control the expenditure and receipt of school funds.
*Make joint agreements and cooperative arrangements.
Specific provisions in the Revised School Code also assign responsibilities to school boards in areas such as:
*Setting the curricula and courses taught in the schools
*Employing a superintendent, other administrators, teachers and support personnel.
*Levying local taxes to run the schools and adopting a budget.
*Deciding whether or not to furnish transportation for pupils.
*Negotiating with employee unions regarding salaries and other conditions of employment.
Members of the board of education are elected to four-year terms on a nonpartisan ballot by the voters of the community. North Branch Area Schools has a 7-member board.
