MIDDLETOWN, NJ —As part of School Board Recognition Month, the Middletown Township Committee passed a resolution last week commending the Middletown Township Board of Education for its service to the community and its children.

"Boards of education provide accountability to the democratic system of governance of schools, communicating the needs of the district to the public while impressing upon administrators the public’s expectations for the school district," said Mayor Patrick W. Parkinson "The Township Committee and I are justly proud of the academic, athletic and social achievements of the students in our community."

On January 2, 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-ever School Board Recognition Month in New Jersey.

"New Jersey’s local school boards set policies that reflect community goals for the schools, work effectively with their chief school administrators to accomplishment those goals and become genuine advocates for the public school children," said Patti I. Pawling, New Jersey School Boards Association president. JABS is an advocacy and service organization for the state’s local boards of education; it is spearheading statewide School Board Recognition Month efforts.

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 WE. Bush proclaimed School Board Recognition Month in the Lone Star State. Former President Clinton observed the event a number of times during his presidency.

With more than 4,800 men and women serving on the state’s local boards of education, school board members constitute the largest group of public officials in New Jersey."

According to officials of the New Jersey School Boards Association, School Board Recognition Month comes at an important time in the candidacy process for local board membership. The filing deadline for candidacy in the 2002 Annual School Election is February 25. The election will take place on April 16. More than 1,500 school board positions will be on the ballot statewide.

"The primary goal of the month-long effort is to thank current and past school board members for their efforts," Mayor Parkinson explained. "By making the public aware of school boards’ contributions to education, we also hope to encourage citizens with a sincere interest in their public schools to consider school board service in the future."

Information on school board candidacy, produced by JABS, is available at the Middletown Township Board of Education office.