By David Prescott, Voice of the Schools

In light of the difficult decisions made at recent school board meetings, it is very timely that we celebrate School Board Recognition Week, as proclaimed by the Minnesota School Boards Association.

As community leaders, our individual school board members face complex and demanding challenges. Yet, few people fully understand the scope and far-reaching implications of the board members’ responsibilities.

School board members establish a vision of the education program that will serve the needs of this community’s children and then design a financial plan to achieve that vision. They must work that plan to keep schools accountable to the community by strongly advocating continuous improvement in student achievement. Their job entails an endless string of meetings and school functions to attend; reams of reports, agendas, proposals, and other information to read and study; and a host of difficult decisions to make.

School board members come from all walks of life. They are businessmen, office managers, retired police officers, homemakers, and real estate agents, to name a few. Although they serve many roles in the workday world, school board members put on a collective hat when they get down to the business of leading their school district. Board members must pull together as a team toward the common goal of helping students achieve. Though they may individually disagree on certain issues, their role as a board is to consistently strive toward that student achievement goal.

Our board members contribute hundreds and hundreds of hours each year leading our district. Whether it be crafting policies, hiring top-notch administrators and teaching staff, listening to staff and student concerns, or recognizing our outstanding programs, board members always keep their eye on the goal of student achievement. The time spent in board meetings represents just a small fraction of the hours school board members spend in leading our district. They also work hard attending workshops and training session to keep abreast of the latest trends in educational leadership.

Each of our board members is also deeply involved in community activities and spends many hours in the schools and at extracurricular events. Our board members provide all this time almost as a volunteer. Unlike most other elected officials, our school board members’ pay is minimal. Each board member receives $100 per month, which means they are probably working for less than $1 per hour for the hours of meetings that they attend.

The school board works closely with parents, administrators, staff members, several advisory groups and other local community members to create the educational vision we want for our community.

In a larger sense, the collective role of local public school boards across the United States is to help preserve our nation’s liberty, prepare our economy for prosperity and enrich the lives of our people. Consequently, it is the local school board that can best bring together in our democracy the entire community&8212; parents, business and civic leaders, and all others concerned about the future of our children and our country.

In recognition of their dedicated service, February 26th through March 2rd is designated as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to show our appreciation and begin to better understand how local board members work together to provide a better future for our children. Please join me and others throughout District 241 to salute the men and women who provide grassroots governance of our public schools.

The school board members of the Albert Lea Area Schools are Ken Petersen, Bill Leland, Jolinda Schreiber, Bill Villarreal, Jill Marin and Sally Ehrhardt. Please make a special effort to tell each of them that his or her hard work has been noticed and is truly appreciated.

David Prescott is the Superintendent of Schools for District 241. This is a guest column.