In the past, boards of education were created to run school districts. But as expectations of educators grew, a cadre of professional administrators developed who were capable of operating school districts quite well. What boards of education bring to the table is the link with local needs of the community in public education. This is far different from what many board members perceive as their proper role. Two words that come to mind when developing a high-performance team between the superintendent and board are trust and communication. If either is lacking, superintendents must find a way to develop it or face difficult times. Board members must trust their CEO and vice versa. At the first sign of conflict, the superintendent needs to be able to talk about issues and help the board resolve its concerns. This article discusses what the board's proper role is. It should focus its decisions and discussions on big-picture issues--the problems and not the solutions.