City Times Staff

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) has set Oct. 4-10 as Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week.

In a news release from district offices at Bliss Educational Services Center, WASB is using the week as a time to “build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our communities”, though did not cite any specific events or activities for the public.

“Stevens Point Area Public School District is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week to honor local board members for their commitment to our community and its children,” the release reads.

“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” said Dr. Lee Bush, interim superintendent. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect.”

In the release, Bush outlined what he called “the key work of school boards is to raise student achievement”. That work includes:

• 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.

“School board members give the Stevens Point area’s citizens a voice in education decision making,” he added. “Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in October, their contribution is a year-round commitment.”

The members serving our district and their years of service are as follows: Trish Baker, Jeff Ebel, Meg Erler, Angel Faxon, Sam Levin, Judy Rannow, Chris Scott, Kim Shirek and Lisa Totten.