Board of Education Responses, Post 2

Question, "What do you think the job of a Board of Education member is?" Please address the following:

1. What power does the position convey?

2. What is the best use of that power?

3. To whom is the Board of Education member responsible?

Leslie Kornreich writes:

Being a Board of Education member conveys the power to collaborate with the other Board members to make far-reaching decisions about the direction and future of our school system. It is one that should not be taken lightly, since Board decisions have the power to affect the educational paths of thousands of students and the career paths of thousands of teachers. Our school system is the reason many families move to Howard County, and those families deserve the best schools we can possibly deliver.

The best use of the power that comes with being a member of the Board of Education is to realize that, like any elected official, you serve the community of voters that have elected you. You cannot assume that you know everything, that you can possibly know the intimate details of the needs of 75 schools and unilaterally make powerful decisions that affect them. The principals, teachers, students and parents that give each school its identity are also the people who know its needs best. As a Board member, I will encourage all of them to offer their expertise, ideas, suggestions and criticisms openly and know that the representative they elected to the Board of Education is listening and acting on them.

 

April 7, 2014 9:47 pm

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