School Board Elections

When I was the principal at Elverado High School, I had a parent come see me asking about school boards.  In short, she was asking how one gets on the school board.  I very much respected this family.  Both parents worked hard and contributed around the school.  Their kids were great students and participated in school activities.  I respected this mom so much that I may have talked her out of picking up a petition.  That was certainly not my intention but when I asked her if she had ever been to a board meeting, she said she had not.  I encouraged her to attend several board meetings, possibly up to a year's worth.  I told her this because I don't think most people know how complicated it actually is to serve on a school board.

School Board elections are approaching and the yard signs and ads are going up.  But what can you look for in a prospective board member for a position that most people do not understand?  I have watched my boards closely and I can say that I have been lucky to work with boards that have treated me well.  I have noticed personal qualities of members that make them more and less effective when big decisions are made.  I would like to offer some things to look for in your candidates this season that will help you make a casting your ballot a little easier.

• Good board members are listeners and learners - They do not have to know everything.
• Good board members are successful in their chosen profession.
• Good board members do not need to be boastful of what they want to accomplish.
• Good board members know that they are making decisions for our kids and families, and not just for their kids and families.

If this is too much to for you to take on, simply check their personal social media pages.  Or even better, look at this code of conduct for board members from the Illinois Association of School Boards.  Can the candidate honor this?

The point of this post is that even though these campaigns are not high dollar ones, they have a huge impact on you locally.  I was once told that school boards spend four minutes on a $4 million budget but four hours on a $4,000 coach.  In my experience this is very true.  You should also be aware of the many different votes that board members take.  Sure they hire and fire people but they also enter into contractual agreements, raise and lower taxes, set school building policy and may have to expel a student here and there.  When you step into the booth on April 4th, be sure you vote for those who represent the values of the the community you live in.  Hopefully, those values will enter the board room and we are represented as we should be.  Happy voting!