The Minnesota School Boards Association set Feb. 18-22 as School Board Recognition Week in Minnesota as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our society. Marshall Public Schools joins other school districts across the state to celebrate School Board Recognition Week to honor local school board members for their commitment to MPS and its children, families, staff members, and community.

Strong schools are important for having a strong community, and our school board members devote countless hours to making sure our schools continue to strive to help every child learn at a higher level. They often make difficult decisions and spend many hours learning more and advocating about education issues and regulations to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect.

The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:

• Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;

• Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do;

• Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;

• Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results;

• Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn, and teachers can teach;

• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and

• Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement.

Minnesota school board members are chosen by their communities through election or appointment to manage local schools. They oversee multimillion-dollar budgets that fund education programs for more than 825,000 students in approximately 2,000 schools, statewide. Their personnel decisions affect more than 52,000 teachers and thousands of administrators and support workers. These individuals also are responsible for formulating school district policy, approving curricula, maintaining school facilities, and adhering to state and federal education law. Legal concerns and the complexities of school finance, including budgeting and taxation, require them to spend many hours in school board training programs and individual study to enhance their understanding of the challenges in education.

The members serving our district include: Bill Swope, Sara Runchey, Jeff Chapman, Matt Coleman, Aaron Ziemer and Bill Mulso. School board members were recognized at the Feb. 19 school board meeting. I would encourage you to say thank you to any of these individuals who you encounter and help me in recognizing the important work that they are responsible for.

School board members give the Marshall citizens a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in February, their contribution is a year-round commitment and extends well beyond school board and school board committee meetings. My deepest and most sincere appreciation is extended to the dedicated school board members in MPS who make it possible for local citizens to participate in education in our community.

For more information about something or if you have questions, I’d encourage you to reach out to the District Office at (507) 537-6924. You can also contact me at scott.monson@marshall.k12.mn.us.