Weathering the Storm? School Board Members’ Adaptation to Turbulent Pandemic Times

Abstract

In spring 2020, school boards across the country were suddenly confronted with a public health crisis that threatened an unknown impact on children as young as five years old. They had to make sense of constantly shifting information and data about the virus and subsequently create or adapt policies related to school closures, adjustments to online learning platforms, mandating masks and other COVID-mitigating strategies. We pose two questions: 1) How did the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic experience affect the two districts? and 2) What influenced the severity of the turbulence that the school boards experienced? This paper uses a comparative case study research design to understand how school board members in two districts experienced and navigated pandemic-related turbulence. We apply turbulence theory and its three drivers, positionality, cascading, and stability. The findings illustrate that one district faced higher turbulence due to its greater instability. The other district avoided extreme turbulence through diverse board representation and strong collegiality which enabled the board to maintain a unified voice through challenges. The other district, however, benefited from long-term board members and internally hiring their superintendent, ensuring leadership continuity. The two districts experienced different levels of turbulence, yet both were able to maintain relative stability through strong collaboration or sustained leadership practices.