In the 11 years since the devolution to local control of New Zealand schools, the role of the Board of Trustees chairperson has emerged as critical to the success of the school-community partnership, especially in small rural communities. A qualitative study examined the issues facing the Board chair, as a lay, elected school leader working in partnership with the school principal. Interviews were conducted with two male and two female chairpersons, all farmers having at least 4 years experience as trustees. Participants had a combined total of 25 years experience as trustees and 17 years experience as Board chairs. In each school, the principal was a teaching principal. Findings suggest that the job of the Board chair increases as school size decreases. Smaller schools have a smaller pool of available trustees and available expertise in the area of governance. In smaller schools, the principal must spend more time in the classroom teaching, has less time to devote to educational leadership, and therefore depends more on the Board chair. In addition, the intimacy of interpersonal relations is greater in smaller schools and communities, making some decisions and conflicts personally more difficult. Hornby's model of parental involvement in school governance is discussed, and it is suggested that the model needs substantial modification to address the unique characteristics of small rural schools. (Contains 21 references.) (Author/SV)