Board News

A little while ago I injured my shoulder. It’s getting better now but for a while, it hurt whenever I moved my arm. It made even the most ordinary things difficult like getting dressed, getting into a car or rolling over in bed. I would lay in bed at night and my shoulder might start to feel sore so I would think about rolling over to get into a more comfortable position. But then I would think about how much it would hurt if I moved and I would have to decide if the pain involved in moving would be worse than the pain of sitting still or not. It felt like a lose/lose decision. 

Which brings me to our upcoming school Board of Trustees elections!

It easy to be cynical about elections especially when we think of national politics, but voting for our school board is a vote that really will shape daily life for your children. 

An effective board usually works in the background, but their decisions have a big influence on what school is like for young people. 

Very soon it will be time to choose the board for the next three years. You don’t get a lot of information about the candidates so what should you look for?

What is their connection to the school?

People with a connection to the school tend to care about it more and understand it better. If they have children, there then they have a strong incentive to see things go well. If people have a history of being committed to the school, then they’re likely to stay that way.

What skills and experience do they bring?

Anyone who is a parent automatically has useful life experience that they offer to a school board, but the board is a team and some skills are very handy. Does anyone look like they are good with money? Is there someone who understands education? Has someone been on boards before? Do people look like they might have a few clues about life?

Have they been on our board before?

If you think school is going well now, then that will be partly due to the existing board of trustees. If some of them stand again that means they already have a bit of success behind them.

Are they representative of our school community?

Many people from many backgrounds are part of our school; in fact, our school is one of the most ethnically diverse schools around. When a board has members from different cultures it helps the school connect better to their community. Keep it in mind when you are looking for people to vote for.

Are they pushing an agenda or not?

Occasionally a candidate can be on a mission to ‘fix the school’. What that means varies widely but it often makes for problems because a school is always about more than one issue. Look for people who could be team players rather being a one idea person.