School boards stand up for Maine children
By Maureen King
The week of April 25 is being declared Local School Board Recognition Week in Maine and we urge members of the community to take time during that week to say thank you to their local board members for their public service. The job is not an easy one.
It is the school board that has to stand up and voice the need for taxpayer support of quality education even in tough economic times. And, when there’s no more money to give, it is the school board that makes the difficult choices of recommending which programs should be saved or cut.
It is the school board that has to set high academic standards for the district and approve the hiring of staff and the method by which they are evaluated to assure qualified teachers are in the classroom.
It is the school board that puts in countless hours, not only at the committee meetings, but in the grocery store and at the soccer game, to take the heat over the school budget, school disciplinary policies, the proposed closing of a school, the school calendar, or even what’s being served in the school cafeteria.
It is the school board that’s on the front-line for literally everything in a community that affects local public education because board members are the embodiment of local control, which is a valued tradition in this state.
And, above all, it is the school board that stands up for the children of Maine and advocates for the time, money, staff support, facilities, equipment, technology and community involvement needed to prepare students for a successful future.
So we urge you during the week of April 25 to find the time to just say thanks to your local School Board members for all they do in what sometimes seems like a thankless job, but one that reaps the most important of all rewards – an educated child.
Maureen King is president of the Maine School Boards Association, representing school boards across the state of Maine. She serves on the School Board for RSU 21 that serves the towns of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel.
