Participation Has Good And Not-So-Good Aspects

I was asked to write an article relating how being a school board member has affected me personally. I thought this would be elementary, but it has proven to be more difficult than I expected.

Even a simple question, such as:“How much time does board work consume?” is not easy to answer. The bottom line is that it takes as much time as you are willing to give. The bi-monthly and special board meetings are the only times a board member’s attendance is required and I would guess this demands 10-20 hours per month.

I made a promise to myself when I was elected to the board that my children and their activities would remain a high priority in allocating my time. As a result, since I have had seniors in high school these past two years, I have been minimally involved in district committees. My fellow trustees are members of several committees and you can easily double their monthly time commitment.

I think the public perception is that board members are frequently approached by patrons with problems that they want fixed. My experience has been to the contrary, most of the telephone calls I receive are from people who know me or my children. When the issue is a coach or changing school boundaries, then I do receive numerous calls from patrons wishing to share they opinions.

No one is more demanding or passionate about issues than my children and their friends. Generally, their points are reasoned and well supported. On occasion, my sons have mistakenly thought it easier to lobby me for a change in policy than to adjust their behavior. For example, my son tried to convince me that I should single-handedly change a policy for him. Of course, this did not happen.

I can think of three less-enjoyable aspects of being on the board: I have less time for my other volunteer activities; some employees when interacting with a board member are guarded and defensive; and I abhor presiding over expulsion hearings and dealing with the fact that students make poor choices and do not realize the severity of their actions until they are brought before the board of expulsion.

I chose to run for a school board position after I completed law school thinking I would have opportunities to apply both my educational and legal training and this has proven to be true. But I continue to serve for continuity in governance. I think the staff deserves to be supported. Most particularly, we have begun aligning our curriculum to the state exiting standards and I would like to see this to completion.

I also continue to serve so I can have the pleasure of participating in the commencement exercises for our three high schools and enjoy with the rest of the community the many accomplishments of our graduates.