Membership on a board of education had been referred to as the most ill-defined position in local government. This paper presents findings of a study that examined the perceptions of experienced New York State school board members concerning 20 policy-formation and administrative activities. The respondents were asked to indicate whether a board of education member had a role, responsibility, or the authority to undertake the activity listed. Surveys mailed in the winter of 1993-94 to 300 sitting members of local school boards across New York elicited 105 responses. There was 90 percent agreement for 3 of the 20 statements. When the percentage of agreement was lowered to 75 percent, there was agreement on only half of the items. Eight activities had been reviewed by the Commissioner and the courts. There was less than 90 percent agreement among the respondents on all eight of the activities, and less than 75 percent agreement on six of the eight activities. Highest percentages of agreement were found for the following items: "having your own children receive special consideration," and "serving on board subcommittees." Respondents disagreed most on "evaluating an administrator at his or her own request," and "at your own expense publishing or making public distributions of your own opinions of board issues." The findings show a substantial amount of disagreement among board members regarding the scope of their authority on some very general issues. Although most respondents had received inservice training, they held misperceptions about their responsibilities. The discrepancies among perceptions may be due to personal experiences and the realities of school administration. Additional inservice training is recommended. Two tables (including the survey instrument with results) and one figure are included. (Contains 47 references.) (Author/LMI)