Board-Dom

A recovering ex-school board member returns to the scene of the crime.

By Howard Good

It’s two years since I last served on the school board, and I don’t want to go back to it—ever. I’m not the only one to feel this way, either. Gary Lister, a school board member from Georgia, has compiled an e-book, 99 Reasons to Never, Ever Again Run for School Board , with contributions from current and former board members from around the country.

So what if there are actually only 54 reasons given? (No. 4: “Education gobbledygook intrudes into your conversations.”) The overall point is still valid: School board service can be traumatizing.

In fact, I seem to exhibit some of the classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including nightmares, flashbacks, and extreme...