January is National School Board Recognition Month
by Kim Lingenfelter
January 22, 2008
January has been designated as National School Board Recognition month. School board members spend time not only in their regular meetings, but in special meetings ranging from being on an Americanism committee that monitors reading and classroom materials for our schools to working on negotiations committees, being on activities committees, transportation and building and grounds committees, superintendent evaluation committees and spending time going to local as well as state level board workshops and seminars.
Board members serve as advocates for students and staff, ambassadors of the school in the community and outlying areas, mediators, policy makers and the list goes on. They are so vital to the continuing education process of any community. It is sort of like the analogy, anyone can be a parent but it takes someone special to be a mom or a dad.
There are no handbooks on being a board member. Common sense, a sense of fair play, and compassion fairly well round out the criteria.
I would lie to commend the members of the board and thank them publicly for a sometimes thankless job, but a job well done. Give your school board member a hug the next time you see them, or simply a statement like, "thanks for taking care of our school".
Bob Marks
