A Statewide Study of Burnout Among School Board Members

Keywords

school boards, school board members, burnout

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: School board members maintain influential power in public school systems, yet they face political turmoil, community backlash, and role ambiguity (Plough, 2014). While this stress has increased in recent years, little to no research has been conducted on them (Diem et al., 2015).

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to explore P-12 school board member burnout.

Methodology: The researchers requested P-12 school board members complete the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) which addresses three constructs: 1.) personal burnout, 2.) work-related burnout, and 3.) client-related burnout.

Findings: The school board member participants in this study reported they do experience burnout, especially in respect to personal burnout (M = 36.91), followed by work-related burnout (M = 35.34), client-related community/media (M = 32.17), client-related students/parents (M = 29.41), and client-related teachers/administrators (M = 24.93).

Conclusions: The creation of school board standards for job expectations, evaluation, and professional development is recommended.

Recommended Citation

Schilling, Nicole V.; Wagner, Kyle; Pawliski, Taylor N.; and Gillham, John (2026) "A Statewide Study of Burnout Among School Board Members," Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 38: Iss. 1, Article 10.
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol38/iss1/10