Board Candidates
When selecting board members for their schools, they generally look for those who can communicate with residents of the district and present an ideal vision that can assist the school in reaching its goals. They also seek people with relevant experience in law, business and insurance/managed-care as well as education, finance/banking/real-estate, marketing, information technology, and real estate.
The board members can be nominated either by the committee of nomination or by the floor during open nominations. The nomination committee must interview prospective candidates to determine if they are right to the board and possess the appropriate skills and qualifications to fulfill the job. The committee should also take into account the diversity of the candidate and their dedication to the goals of the organization.
The nomination process should also include a discussion on expectations for board members, such as the amount of financial contributions and participation in fundraising. professional advice on the school’s governance. This should be reflected in a letter of agreement that new board members are asked to sign.
During an election, it is crucial to allow write-ins of candidates who didn’t get nominated. This will ensure a true representation of the voters’ preferences and also eliminates the Ballot Order Effect where voters tend towards candidates near the top of the ballot. It is also beneficial to include an “Abstain from voting” option to stop voters from voting for candidates that are not in line with the ideals of their school.