USI.18

Standard USI.19>

media type="custom" key="29546949" align="right" =Explain the major components of local government in Massachusetts, including the roles and functions of school committees, town meetings, boards of selectmen, mayors, and city councils. =

Topics on the Page

 * Forms of Government in 351 Massachusetts Communities **
 * School Committees **
 * Town Meetings **
 * Boards of Selectmen **
 * Mayors **

**[[image:Screen Shot 2017-04-14 at 2.41.45 PM.png]]For more information, see USG. 3.8 & USG. 3.10**

 * Forms of Government in 351 Massachusetts Communities**

**Roles**

 * Craft district's mission statement
 * Approve the budget
 * Make rules for the district
 * Hire and evaluate the Superintendent
 * Hold biweekly or monthly meetings to discuss issues, open to the public with time for comments

Structure

 * Certain number of elected representatives (varies with each district) with set term lengths

For an example of the structure of a Massachusetts School Committee, visit The Lincoln Public Schools page

Watch a school committee meeting in Sunderland, MA here

Town Meetings
Town meetings are a form of direct democracy; that is, citizens are the ones voting, not their representatives voting for them. Read all about the Rules of a Town Meeting for more information.

Structure

 * There are two types of town meetings: Open and Representative
 * Open town meetings are held in towns with less than 6,000 people. [[image:norwell town meeting.jpg width="336" height="224" align="right" caption="A town meeting in Norwell, MA"]]
 * A board of selectmen reads a list of issues to be voted on
 * A moderator runs the meeting, explains each issue, and holds the vote for each issue
 * The meetings are run on Parliamentary Procedure [[image:Multimedia.png]]
 * Votes are taken on a voice basis, not a written ballot
 * Representative town meetings are held in towns with more than 6,000 people
 * Townspeople elect representatives to vote for them, acting similar to a town council
 * The number of Town Meeting Members depends on population

Boards of Selectmen
Either male or female, these people are the elected executive officers of a town. Depending on the town, there are either 3 or 5 members.

Roles

 * [[image:210px-Thomas_Menino,_Mayor_of_Boston.jpg width="1" align="right" caption="Thomas Menino, current mayor of Boston"]] Can call town meetings
 * Depending on the size of the town, either directly or indirectly supervise town workers
 * Propose budgets to town meetings
 * Appoint department heads

Mayors
Mayors are the chief executive official in many larger towns and cities. Often, smaller communities do not have mayors and function with the leadership of the Board of Selectmen.

Structure

 * Depending on the location, mayors serve 2 or 4 year terms

Roles

 * Oversee departments, like fire, education, and housing
 * Often, the mayor is member of the city council and runs the meetings
 * Depending on the town or city, the mayor may or may not have more power than the city council

List of current Mayors in Massachusetts

Watch this video on the roles and responsibilities of mayors!