School Board Poll Finds Turmoil Isn't Common

By Jeff Archer

For Tom Bennett, running for the local school board amounts to shelling out $200 for yard signs and a newspaper advertisement. In fact, the fourth-term member of the board in Coos Bay, Ore., says it's been eight years since anyone on the panel has been ousted by a challenger. And in 35 years, the 3,700- student district has had just two superintendents.

Describing board members' working relationships, he says: "I think most people look at our school board meetings and say, 'Those people truly enjoy what they're doing.'"

Not the...