When local school board members in New York City assumed office on 31 local school boards in 1969, this should have resulted in more responsive local boards with sufficient power to control local policy; but this was not the actual result. Specific examination of the decentralization bill, the politics of the election, and the election procedures increases understanding of the present makeup of the boards and their capacity for reform of educational policies. The influence of the churches and other organized groups with self-interest motives was overwhelming; the Decentralization Act itself created many obstacles; and the Board of Education and the Board of Elections abdicated their responsibilities in this election. Finally, the election procedure of proportional representation completed the process which blocked the election of a sufficient percentage of "grass roots" people to these boards. (Author/DM)