This paper, the third based on a 4-year sociological field study of school-community relations in a factional suburb, analyzes conflict generated by the discrepancy between the perceived and actual norms governing the school board-community relationship. A 3-year effort to develop board responsiveness followed a 7-year period of professional domination and suppression of dissent. Increased participation had the unanticipated consequence of raising expectations for citizen influence in decisionmaking and creating public visibility of the decline in school board authority. Findings have been related to previous research and theory on citizen participation and conflict resolution. (Author)