SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION MONTH

I hope everyone had, and continues to have, a happy and safe new year. January is the month for new year’s resolutions and new beginnings. Many local school boards will be adopting resolutions calling on citizens to work together toward school improvement and recognizing the contributions of colleagues throughout the state during School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey. The resolutions will include the following points as outlined by the New Jersey School Boards Association:

•New Jersey can take pride in its schools, which rank among the nation’s best in indicators such as class size, graduation rates, college entrance exam participation,and Advanced Placement offerings.”

•On January 8, the New Jersey State Board of Education, the state-level public body that regulates New Jersey’s public schools, approved a resolution marking January as the first School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey.

•School board members in New Jersey receive no pay for their service. More than 4,800 men and women serve on New Jersey’s local boards of education, making them the largest group of public officials in the state.

•School board members provide countless hours of service to their communities and strive to provide the resources necessary to meet the needs of all students.

The primary goal of School Board Recognition Month is to thank current and former school board members for their work on behalf of their communities,” explained Glenn B. Ewan, New Jersey Boards Association
(NJSBA) president. “New Jersey’s local school boards set policies that reflect community goals for the schools, work effectively with their chief school administrators to accomplish those goals and become genuine advocates for the public school children.

“School board members receive no compensation for the countless hours of service they devote to their communities,” Ewan continued. “Many board members also dedicate extraordinary amounts of additional time to attend[GE1] training and to reach out to state legislators and members of Congress on behalf of their communities’ children.”

The National School Boards Association initiated School Board Recognition Month in the early 1990s. Various other states followed suit by dedicating one month of the year to recognize the contributions of local board members. When he was governor of Texas, President George W. Bush proclaimed School Board Recognition Month in the Lone Star State. Former President Clinton observed the event a number of times during his presidency. This is an appropriate time for us to recognize the contributions and commitment of our local school board members. Their efforts have resulted in quality educational programs for our children.