Have you thanked a school board member lately?
You should.
School board members exemplify local citizen control and decision making in education. They volunteer hundreds of hours and an immeasurable amount of energy to assure that our schools are providing the best education possible for the children of our community. That is why we are taking this opportunity to recognize them during School Board Appreciation Month in January.
School board members are citizens whose decisions affect our children – what they learn, who will teach them and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms. None of the decisions this board makes are easy ones — and some are drastically more challenging than others, because weighing on their minds are the wishes of their constituents.
Our school board is one of more than 100 such boards across the state. And sure, we disagree with decisions or lack of decisions from time to time, but these folks still deserve our appreciation. Constructive criticism and disagreement is a healthy part of the process, and they usually understand that.
With the advice and counsel of the educational professionals they hire, our school board has an impact on virtually every aspect of our schools.
This is a huge responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. They represent you, and they take this responsibility seriously by attending meetings and conferences where they broaden their knowledge about education.
Too often we neglect to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent us. The staff and students of our school district are asking all local citizens to take a moment to tell a school board member “thanks for caring about our children’s education.”
And if you are on the fence about giving these folks kudos, ask yourself if the position they hold and the decisions they are tasked with making is something you could do yourself.
We salute the members of the Scotland County Board of Education, whose dedication and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in our community possible. We applaud them for their vision and voice to help shape a better tomorrow.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We must all find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” (John F. Kennedy)
