This booklet is intended to help new school board members in the state of Washington learn their jobs rapidly and, at the same time, to serve as a constructive reference for experienced board members. Individual chapters focus in turn on an overview of the school board, the school board member as an individual, the structure of Washington's public school system, school board meetings, establishing policy, school board-superintendent relations, personnel functions of the board, understanding school finance, school operation, the Washington school board's association, and a code of ethics for board members. Because the booklet is aimed specifically at school board members in the state of Washington, its value will be somewhat limited for board members in other states. (Author/JG)