This manual for new and current board members describes school board activities in California. The first of 11 chapters discusses the board's function and the member's role on the board. Chapter 2 touches on government regulation of education under federal and state constitutions and statutes. Chapter 3 introduces the structure of public education in California at the state, county, and local levels. The functions of school boards associations at state and national levels are covered in the fourth chapter. Chapter 5 discusses how board meetings are run and why they are run that way. Elements in the policy-making process are reviewed in chapter 6. Chapter 7 explores the relationship of the board to the superintendent, while the eighth chapter clarifies the board's relationship to the rest of the school district's employees. In the ninth chapter the board's role in planning, implementing, and evaluating the district's instructional program is considered. Chapter 10 examines the history of school finance and outlines the preparation of the district budget. Chapter 11 explains how to cope with the financial demands of educational facilities. Glossaries of terms in employment relations and school finance are appended. (PGD)