January is School Board Recognition Month
Serving students requires the expertise and compassion of many people with many forms of expertise, but in this month, let’s take the opportunity to express gratitude to our school board members. They are a vital link between the local community and the school district.
January is School Board Recognition Month. (See the governor’s proclamation.) WSSDA encourages everyone to reflect on the role of school boards and the hard work performed by the neighbors we elect to serve on those boards. And of course, to thank your local board members for their service.
An effective school board models collaboration, operates within the domain boards were created for, and does so with ever-growing professionalism and expertise. The board’s domain, or primary functions, are to provide visionary leadership, effective governance, and strategic advocacy on behalf of their local districts and K-12 education as a whole. While doing so, they should remain committed to educational equity, student achievement, and community engagement. In fact, studies have shown a correlation between a school board’s performance and its students’ achievement levels.
“The most important thing that I have learned through my board service is that we do not have all the answers and we cannot be successful without the help of others. I have learned that we simply need to ask others for their ideas and assistance to help meet the needs of our students. Working together, we can better deal with the demands that are placed on us as board members and that we are all in this together because we want to do what is best for our students.”
Clara jimenez,
School Director for Toppenish school district
Learn more about serving on your local school board.