The Board of Education is a unit of local government that determines the policy, budget, leadership, and administration within a certain district's public schools. The role of the Board of Education is to make decisions about curriculum, school buildings and maintenance, annual budgets and more by consulting with parents, teachers, and the superintendent.

Some of these responsibilities include:

• Policymaking: It is the school board’s responsibility to design and implement policy for their school district, such as creating performance markers for student achievement, and making sure a school’s procedures comply with federal laws and state laws.

• Hiring the Superintendent: A school’s Superintendent is the chief executive officer of the school board and oversees the implementation of the board's vision for district schools.

• Approving budgets: The school board controls the annual budget allocated to their district from the state government and decides how to spend that money.

• Approving curriculums: The school board is responsible for approving a school's curriculum, as well as deciding the textbooks that the district will use.

• Assessing compliance with policy standards: A school board is expected to monitor local school’s performance, measured against the board's performance markers, and report when schools fail to adhere to district policies.

• Setting the school calendar: The school board of a given district sets the calendar for the school year, including beginning and end dates.

• Community advocacy: The school board is considered a leader in their community, and should advocate for the community's educational needs.