This handbook is intended to provide school board members with a good basic understanding of the school board's duties and functions and its relationship to the community, the school administration, and the school staff. Chapters 1-4 focus in turn on the topics of school board organization and operation, school board-superintendent relationships, major functions of school boards, and school board-staff relations. The appendix provides a simplified guide to Texas school law, outlines responsibilities of the school board and the superintendent, lists sources of information and aid for Texas school board members, and presents a checklist for evaluating school board-superintendent cooperation. (Author/JG)