In researching about Board of Education members for our Public School Governance paper, I was able to read more in depth about a Board Member’s misconduct case in my own district (San Diego Unified). In February, we had a Board Member plead guilty for violating the Political Reform Act (California Fair Political Practices Commission, 2016). She was in violation of the act because she accepted a $3,487 scholarship to pay for her son to attend a theater camp. This board member did not disclose to the donor that she was on the School Board. Unfortunately, the donor thought she was helping a student that needed financial help and she did not realize his mother was on the school board. There were additional allegations that included illegally fund raising to pay off debt and college tuition for her sons that were attended by San Diego Unified officials and contractors. She also enrolled her son in a subsidized lunch program even though her income well exceeded the requirement. In the end, the District Attorney conducted a criminal investigation on all these accounts; however, the superior court ruled that the only charge filed against her was for accepting $3,487 in scholarship money. This board member plead guilty to the violation, sentenced to three years’ probation, 120 hours of community service, and prohibited from running for elected office for four years (Magee, 2016). I was shocked to hear that this board member was misleading the community and using her position for her own selfish reasons. She gained the trust of her district/community enough to win their vote for her position. However, she lied to many people about her income to benefit her son’s education. In addition, she tried to seek financial help from other SDUSD employees and contractors to pay off college debt accumulated by her children. If not, how does your school district ensure that there are checks and balances within our school board members to be honest and truthful?