I’ll be honest with you, until about
a year ago I had no idea what a school board actually did. I didn’t
realize how many decisions they actually made. I was blissfully unaware
about how local government worked. If you are like me, just
know you aren’t the only one. Did you know that only 10% of the voting
population actually shows up to cast a ballot in local school board elections? Only 10%!
But
here’s the thing.... what we need to understand is that these people make BIG decisions in our
community!
The job of our school board is to
provide the best education for our children and be the community’s voice within
the school district itself. Each board member who is elected serves our
community for a four-year term without pay. Our board is responsible for
employing and overseeing the superintendent, developing revenue streams,
managing taxpayers' dollars, adopting policies, choosing curriculum, and executing the budget. They
also must advocate for the needs of the public schools, oversee facilities
issues, adopt collective bargaining agreements, address budget issues, and
reflect the community’s expectations throughout the district.
Ideally, our school board members
should reflect the diversity of our great community, and they should always do
their best to look at the district in a nonpartisan way. Healthy,
well-functioning school boards should strive to work together as a team
while also keeping an open mind. Creating and maintaining a shared vision
for the district should be a priority and should be a community effort fostered
by the board. School directors should promote an open line of
communication with the community because it will help establish and achieve
that shared vision for our district. The board should always be open to
creating partnerships throughout the community and working with those within
the community who want to help contribute to the vision. The relationship
that board members cultivate within the community (teachers,
administrators, and families) encourage our district to
work together to create excellent public education within our district.
Unfortunately, Coatesville has had
its fair share of dysfunctional boards. Board directors who lacked
teamwork, organization, and communication skills, often failed to make decisions
that are in the best interest of the district. Even the well-intentioned
board directors who lack discernment or sensitivity have proven to be
ineffective due to their unwillingness to listen. Even more harmful
is when those who are elected to a nonpartisan office put their socio-political
beliefs above the best interest of our students. These are the concerns
we need to look out for as a community and need to avoid in the future.
We have a lot of
power. But to use that power we have to get out and vote. It’s our
job to keep those we elect accountable. Not only is it imperative for voters to do
research on who is running in his/ her region, but also question the school
board candidates, participate in elections, and continue to be engaged once
members have been elected. You see, we can’t keep complaining about the
issues if we aren’t willing to take responsibility and SHOW UP to
support those people making the decisions.
In these next few weeks,
our goal is to give you a better look into what’s going on in the district as we continue
our series about the“Coatesville Area School Board Elections.” We hope to bring clarity and understanding to the issues we face. We are extremely excited to be introducing you to the candidates running. We hope that in sharing, they will convey (in their own words) why they believe they can make a positive change in our district.
Stay informed and
up-to-date with this series that will help empower your vote on May 21st by
subscribing below.
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