School Board Facts

Board members are locally elected, non-salaried public officials entrusted with the task of providing the direction for the education of students across Iowa. The board of education is a uniquely American institution, dating from the earliest days of our country. It has made public schools flexible and responsive to local community needs. Today, public schools are being asked to raise the bar of academic achievement, while remaining good stewards of the public’s investment in education. That demands sound knowledge in several key areas, including leadership, school improvement, school finance, advocacy and more, while keeping student achievement as the board’s primary focus.
Iowa school board members represent a continuing commitment to local citizen decision-making in public education. Each week, they donate their personal time in service to Iowa students.
Area Education Agency Boards
The state’s nine area education agencies (AEAs) are governed by nine board members who are elected for four-year terms by public school board members. Iowa AEAs are intermediate service units that provide special education, media and educational services to local schools.
K-12 School Boards
Iowa has 333 school districts with five or seven member school boards. School board members are elected by their local communities in an election held the second Tuesday of September in odd-numbered years. They may be elected at large or from director districts and serve four-year terms.

K-12 Public School Board Data
Board seats in Iowa    1,893
Male board members    63%
Female board members    37%
Five member boards    219
Seven member boards    114
Student enrollment 2015–16    485,147
Total budget dollars 2015–16    $5.9 billion