When Peter Meyer moved to Hudson, New York and placed his child in the local school system, he was shocked at the abysmal quality of education there. He was even more surprised to learn that there was very little movement for reform. He joined the school board with the hopes of enacting new policies, but found instead that it was an ineffecient institution marked by strong local politics and a complete lack of initiative in dealing with difficult problems--or students. In this article, he describes some of the troubling circumstances he learned of during his time with the board, and the reasons for his resignation just months after being elected.