Issues
Board Unity
I believe that board unity is essential for the success of our school corporation. However, to be clear, unity does not equal uniformity. Each board member brings a diversity of thought, experiences, and skills to the table. It is essential that members be able to listen to each other and to work together to discern what is best for our unique corporation. No single board member holds power, the board is only effective as a group.
Role of a school board
I fully support the Indiana School Board Association (ISBA) standard regarding the role of a school board. A school board is the governing body that sets the strategy: the mission & vision, goals, policies, and budget. The role of a superintendent is more tactical: the strategies, action plans, regulations, and procedures. The Superintendent’s staff is the operational arm that executes the aforementioned items. The school board is the “What? Why? How Much?” and the Superintendent/Staff is the “How? Who? When? Where?”.
Construction
As part of the fiscal management role of the school board, there are important decisions coming up to care for the facilities that we have. During this decision making process, the board will have to work to prioritize and fund these projects. They voted in August to upgrade the track at the athletic complex (and all the runners said, “Hallelujah!”), but what’s next? Which projects need immediate attention and which can handle some “bandaids” and be deferred? How do we prioritize the projects when so many are worthy of action? This is something that I do in my profession and a skill I believe I can use to serve our corporation.
Building on Excellence
- West Lafayette Community School Corporation has been voted one of the best school districts in Indiana and even ranks among the top 15 in the nation! So where do we go from here? We have a voice and we need to make sure we’re using it! One way to use it is to stay engaged at the state level. As mentioned in the “Role of a School Board” section, policy is one of the fundamental roles of a school board.
- Our state, at the direction of the governor, is working to overhaul high school diplomas. We are very fortunate to have engaged teachers and an active union that have been voicing their concerns, educating the public, and driving action. The state school board, thankfully, made some necessary revisions to the diplomas, but the work is not finished. We are in the window to give additional feedback before decisions are made in December. I plan to stay engaged on this issue, especially since my son, a current 8th grader, would be the first graduating class affected.
- But even beyond this issue, staying engaged is important since we never know how the next issue will affect our students and even those in surrounding school corporations. Our teachers are the experts and I believe that one of the best things a board can do is to listen to their feedback and elevate their voices at the state level. We have a history of excellence and we need to ensure that we are doing everything we can to build on that excellence and be a voice for all the students in our corporation and neighboring districts.
Board Unity
I believe that board unity is essential for the success of our school corporation. However, to be clear, unity does not equal uniformity. Each board member brings a diversity of thought, experiences, and skills to the table. It is essential that members be able to listen to each other and to work together to discern what is best for our unique corporation. No single board member holds power, the board is only effective as a group.
Role of a school board
I fully support the Indiana School Board Association (ISBA) standard regarding the role of a school board. A school board is the governing body that sets the strategy: the mission & vision, goals, policies, and budget. The role of a superintendent is more tactical: the strategies, action plans, regulations, and procedures. The Superintendent’s staff is the operational arm that executes the aforementioned items. The school board is the “What? Why? How Much?” and the Superintendent/Staff is the “How? Who? When? Where?”.
Construction
As part of the fiscal management role of the school board, there are important decisions coming up to care for the facilities that we have. During this decision making process, the board will have to work to prioritize and fund these projects. They voted in August to upgrade the track at the athletic complex (and all the runners said, “Hallelujah!”), but what’s next? Which projects need immediate attention and which can handle some “bandaids” and be deferred? How do we prioritize the projects when so many are worthy of action? This is something that I do in my profession and a skill I believe I can use to serve our corporation.
Building on Excellence
- West Lafayette Community School Corporation has been voted one of the best school districts in Indiana and even ranks among the top 15 in the nation! So where do we go from here? We have a voice and we need to make sure we’re using it! One way to use it is to stay engaged at the state level. As mentioned in the “Role of a School Board” section, policy is one of the fundamental roles of a school board.
- Our state, at the direction of the governor, is working to overhaul high school diplomas. We are very fortunate to have engaged teachers and an active union that have been voicing their concerns, educating the public, and driving action. The state school board, thankfully, made some necessary revisions to the diplomas, but the work is not finished. We are in the window to give additional feedback before decisions are made in December. I plan to stay engaged on this issue, especially since my son, a current 8th grader, would be the first graduating class affected.
- But even beyond this issue, staying engaged is important since we never know how the next issue will affect our students and even those in surrounding school corporations. Our teachers are the experts and I believe that one of the best things a board can do is to listen to their feedback and elevate their voices at the state level. We have a history of excellence and we need to ensure that we are doing everything we can to build on that excellence and be a voice for all the students in our corporation and neighboring districts.
Have questions?
I'm interesting to learn what you think are important issues facing the schools!