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Anna Bucy. Ed.D.
Communication. Education. Service.
What do board members do anyway?
Thursday, June 04, 2009 - 10:14 PM
Often people are under the impression that school board members are either rubber stamps for the superintendent or capable of over-ruling every decision every parent is not happy with. Honestly, board members are neither.

School board members' job is to be visionaries.  It is our job to set vision and mission for the district and use our monthly meetings to monitor the progress toward that vision through approval of required elements, examination of budget, and review of policy.

Unfortunately, though, many board members across the nation fear being labeled micromanagers so they avoid active involvement in the schools they hope to guide. The key to avoiding the appearance of impropriety is not to avoid contact, but to maintain high ethical standards and to act openly and honestly.

Personally, aside from raising my wonderful son, being on a school board is the most important and valuable thing I have ever done. I hope to be able to keep at it for many more years.
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Anna Bucy
Sunday, August 23, 2009 - 9:49 PM
School Boardsmanship can be stressful business
Nothing is easy about being on a school board if you are doing it right. The wonderful positive moments like having Kindergarteners sing at a board meeting or congratulating a National Merit Scholar are accompanied by concerns about whether we are meeting every child's needs. Tough decisions like RIFs and other cutbacks are tempered by hope that the future will hold rewards from our community in the form of levy passage when we can prove we can keep kids succeeding with aging schools and few extra programs.

Waking in a cold sweat after tough votes is common. Fretting about grim financial forecasts is constant. Swelling with pride with every student's accomplishments is inevitable (and what keeps us coming back for more).

People get upset about relatively small problems and accuse boards of lying or backroom dealing. I wish boards could tell everyone about everything that must be discusses in executive session--the decisions would seem less arbitrary. 

Trust is a funny animal. Five (or seven) laypersons are entrusted with the representation of the whole community, which is not an easy task in any town, which we take seriously. The trust goes south for many the moment a decision is made that someone does not agree with. Irony here is that most decision make perfect sense to those charged with making them and would make more sense to the public if they happened to attend a board meeting once in a while.

I beg you, all of you--educators, parents, business owners, elderly, non-parents--participate in the education of the next generation so they may learn from your experiences and grow to be wiser with your help than they could have been without it. Public schools need your help and your trust. Get involved. Get informed.
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June, 2009
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