What is the State Board of Education?

A 13-member board that sets the state's education policy.

Eight members of the board are appointed by the governor from geographical districts, while three represent the state at-large. The lieutenant governor and the state treasurer also serve on the board.

The board approves school curricula and tests, authorizes hiring top staffers of the Department of Public Instruction, and writes a budget request to the governor for education spending.

The superintendent of public instruction then implements those plans.

Board members are not paid, although they receive a meals stipend for meetings.

The board was created in the post-Civil War constitution of 1868. Originally it was made up of other state elected officials, such as the governor and the secretary of state.

In 1942, a state constitutional amendment changed the board's makeup.

In the 2008 gubernatorial primary, Republican candidate Bob Orr called for the board to be elected, rather than appointed.