Governance

State Boards/Chiefs/Agencies

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State Education Governance Models

Revised by Vincent Scudella
August 2013

Education governance structures differ from state to state and directly affect how education policy leaders
interact. Understanding the differences between structures can help explain the education policy process in terms
of how decisions are made and the how authority is divided.

State education governance structures can be categorized into one of four general models that describe how state
boards of education are constituted and whether the chief state school officer is appointed or elected. Forty-one
of the 50 states fall into one of these categories; the other nine states, plus the District of Columbia, have
governance structures that are modified versions of the four general models.

State Governance Models: 50-State Map

Model 1
Model 2
Model 3
Model 4
Other
Model One

In this model, the governor appoints the

majority or all of the members of the state
board of education. The state board, in
turn, appoints the chief state school
officer. Model One includes 14 states:
Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida,
Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland,
1
Massachusetts, Mississippi , Missouri,
2 3
Oregon , Rhode Island , and West
Virginia.

1. In Mississippi, the governor appoints five of the nine voting members, and the remaining four voting
members are evenly appointed by the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house.
2. The governor appoints 12 of the 13 voting members of the Oregon Education Investment Board (OEIB) and
seven of the nine voting members of the Oregon state board of education. The OEIB appoints the chief
education officer.
3. Rhode Island has 11 voting members of the state board of education, which is a K-20 board. All 11 are
appointed by the governor.

Model Two

In this model, a majority or all of the

members of the state board of education
are elected, and the board appoints the
chief state school officer. Seven states fall
into Model Two: Alabama, Colorado,
Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska,
and Utah.

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Model Three
In this model, the governor appoints the
majority or all of the members of the state
board of education. The chief state school
officer is elected. Model Three includes nine
states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho,
Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North
Dakota, and Oklahoma. In five of these
states—Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, North
Dakota, and Oklahoma*—the chief state
school officer also is a voting member of the
state board of education.

*Oklahoma state board oversees the state

system of education, but not the agency.

Model Four
In this model, the governor appoints the
majority or all of the state board of
education members and the chief state
school officer. There are 11 Model Four
states: Delaware, Iowa, Maine, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont,
Virginia, and Wyoming.

Other Governance Models

The remaining nine states plus the District of Columbia function under modified versions of the above four
models.

The nine states include: Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and
Wisconsin.

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A. Elected/Appointed State Board; Board-Appointed Chief
In Ohio, 11 of 19 board members are elected and the governor appoints eight members. The chief is appointed
by the state board. Technically, Ohio fits within Model Two, but we include it here because of the fairly even
balance of appointed and elected members.

B. Elected/Appointed State Board; Governor-Appointed Chief

In Nevada, four of seven voting members are elected from the four congressional districts, and three voting
members are appointed by the governor (one of these members is appointed by the senate majority leader and
the other by the speaker of the assembly). There are four nonvoting members (11 total). The chief is appointed
by the governor.

C. Joint Elected/Appointed State Board; Elected Chief

In the state of Washington, the board of education is made up of 16 members—none of whom is elected by
the voters, and the chief state school officer is elected.
• Five elected by district directors (from western and eastern Washington)
• One elected by members of state-approved private schools
• Superintendent of public instruction
• Seven members appointed by the governor
• Two student members (non-voting)

D. Legislature Appoints State Board; Appointed or Elected Chief

In New York, the state legislature appoints the majority of board members, and the chief state school officer is
appointed by the board.

In South Carolina, the governor appoints one member of the board, and the legislature appoints 16 of the 17
members. The chief is elected.

E. Elected Board; Governor-Appointed Chief

In Texas, the state board of education is elected, but the governor appoints the chief state school officer, who
also serves as the executive secretary of the state board.

F. No State Board or Advisory Only; Elected or Appointed Chief

Minnesota and Wisconsin do not have a state board of education. New Mexico has an elected body (Public
Education Commission), but it is advisory only. The District of Columbia has an elected board of education
created by the District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 that advises the state
superintendent but otherwise lacks authority. Previously, the board oversaw day-to-day operations of schools.
This act also gave the mayor primary responsibility for public education, including the authority to appoint the
school superintendent and chancellor.
• Minnesota and New Mexico: Chief state school officer is appointed by governor, but in New Mexico,
must be confirmed by the senate.
• Wisconsin: Chief state school officer is elected.

Territories
Guam has a joint elected/appointed board of education. The governor appoints three of the voting members with
the advice and consent of the legislature, and the remaining six voting members are elected. The board of
education elects the chief state school officer. Puerto Rico currently maintains an educational model in which the
chief state school officer is appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate but does not have
a board of education. In the Virgin Islands, the board of education is elected and the chief state school officer is
appointed by the governor.

Summary: State Boards of Education

All voting members appointed by governor (24 states)
Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine,
Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee,
Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming
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 Some voting members appointed by governor (eight states)
Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

All or majority of voting members elected (seven states)

Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Texas, and Utah

Appointed and elected (four states and D.C.)

Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio, and District of Columbia (advisory only)

Appointed by legislature (one state)

New York
Note: Although Pennsylvania is listed in “Some voting members appointed by the governor” category, four of
21 voting members are appointed by the Pennsylvania legislature.

Appointed by multiple authorities (three states)

Mississippi, South Carolina, and Washington

No state board or advisory only (three states and D.C.)

Minnesota and Wisconsin (no board); New Mexico and District of Columbia (advisory only)

Summary: Chief State School Officers

Appointed by governor (15 states and D.C.)

Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming. In the District of Columbia, the mayor appoints
the chief state school officer.

Appointed by state board of education (23 states)

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island,
Utah, and West Virginia

Elected (12 states)

Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin

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Dual Offices for Education

In five states and the District of Columbia, the governor (or mayor, in D.C.) appoints a cabinet-level secretary of
education.

State Titles Citation

Kentucky Secretary of Education and Workforce Development and KY. STAT. ANN. §§151B.020 and
Commissioner of Education 156.148

Massachusetts Secretary of Education and Commissioner of Education MASS. ANN. LAWS ch.6A§14A and
15§1F
Oklahoma Secretary of Education and State Superintendent of OKLA. STATE. ANN. tit.70, §3-118
Education and OKLA. CONST. ART. VI SEC. 1
Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction (the governor) and OR. REV. STAT. §326.300(1) and
Chief Education Officer §326.010 Section 2(1)
Virginia Secretary of Education and Superintendent of Public VA CODE ANN.§22.1-21 and §2.2-
Instruction 200
District of State Superintendent of Education and Chancellor of D.C. D.C. OFFICIAL CODE ARTICLE VI. (C)
Columbia Public Schools, both appointed by the mayor and §38-174

The original version of this document was compiled by Todd Ziebarth, 2004.
Vincent Scudella is a Researcher at ECS and can be contacted at (303) 299-3673 or [email protected].

© 2013 by the Education Commission of the States (ECS). All rights reserved.

ECS is the only nationwide, nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education.

ECS encourages its readers to share our information with others. To request permission to reprint or excerpt some of our
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Equipping Education Leaders, Advancing Ideas

Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway, Suite 810 • Denver, CO 80203-3460 • 303.299.3600 • fax 303.296.8332 • www.ecs.org
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