Publications

Local governing boards (city councils, county boards of commissioners, and local boards of education) occasionally have to cope with a troublesome member. If a duly elected or appointed member acts in a disruptive manner during a board meeting, can the board vote to expel him from the meeting? If a member acts in a manner that is harmful or embarrassing to the board outside of a meeting, can...

A number of school systems in North Carolina today are struggling to provide school facilities adequate to a system of quality education. In some jurisdictions, local financial resources may be too meager to provide a system of high- quality public schools. In other areas, where financial resources are adequate, the electorate may be unwilling to support the construction of new school...

During the past several years, school resource officers (SROs) have been welcomed to many public school campuses. The SRO is usually a sworn law enforcement official placed at the school through an arrangement with the local police or sheriff ’s department. Although the presence of an SRO can deter individuals from attempting acts of violence, many school administrators feel that the primary...

In 2002 the biggest changes in education policy came from the federal government, not from traditional state policymakers. The new federal No Child Left Behind Act had state education officials, local policymakers, and educators scrambling to address the act’s many mandates. Across the nation, education leaders were enmeshed in the first steps of implementing the act. At the same time, North...