To help new school board members gain a quick understanding of their job, this handbook's seven chapters and five appendices present useful guidelines and information. The first chapter discusses the general nature of school board membership, lists 12 characteristics of a good board member, and presents the Illinois Association of School Boards' code of conduct for school board members. Chapters two and three describe the structure of Illinois school government and of local school boards. The school board's powers and duties, including policy-making and school district monitoring, are addressed in chapter four. Chapter five looks at school board operations and meetings and suggests how to conduct effective meetings. The last two chapters introduce the new board member to school finance and collective bargaining. The appendices add further hints for conducting productive board meetings and provide a list of additional readings as well as guidelines for a board's relations with its chief administrator. (RW)