January is School Board Recognition Month
Our school board members are just ordinary citizens - your friends and neighbors - with extraordinary dedication to our community and our children. They provide a vital service in our community. Public education is the backbone of American society, and local school boards are deeply rooted in U.S. tradition. In fact, in 1966 the people of Kansas amended our state's constitution to specifically call for local public schools that are maintained, developed and operated by the locally elected boards.
Our board of education established a vision for the education program, maintains the structure to achieve that vision and provides accountability to the community. Each member is a strong advocate for continuous improvement in student learning. They study, discuss and research so that they can make informed decisions on countless complex issues.
The job of a school board member is tough, the hours long and the thanks few and far between. Too often we forget about the personal sacrifices school board members make. They spend hours in meetings and on committees, advocating for our schools with elected politicians by speaking out against budget cuts or pushing for policy and program reforms.
The month of January marks the annual observance of School Board Recognition Month. This is a time to show our appreciation and begin to better understand how local boards work together to prepare today's students to be tomorrow's leaders. In January, join with others from throughout our district and state to salute the men and women who provide grassroots governance of our public schools. We send special thanks to our Seaman USD 345 Board members: James Adams (7/1/11), James Andrews (7/1/09), Mark Boyd (7/1/03), Susan Fowler-Hentzler (7/1/09), Frank Henderson (7/1/09), Mike Lesser (7/1/09), and Fred Patton (7/1/03).
