January is School Board Appreciation Month
An Opportunity to Celebrate and Educate
By Jason Jones
Messenger Reporter
Area school districts will be celebrating and appreciating their respective school boards during the month of January.
Initiated by the National School Boards Association in 1995, 2022 marks the 27th anniversary of School Board Recognition Month.
Each January, we honor the community volunteers who serve on their local school boards. The 2022 School Board Recognition theme is Rising Above, which is especially apt right now, given that many school board members are facing unprecedented challenges in trying to navigate controversial topics in K-12 education.
“School boards are essential to a strong public education system,” Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Executive Director Dan Troxell said. “They provide the local governance and oversight that makes it possible for school districts to serve students, including establishing a strategic plan, adopting policies, approving a budget and selecting and evaluating a superintendent. It’s fitting that we celebrate them in January as their leadership is key to the success of every school district in Texas.”
With school boards in the news more than ever, School Board Recognition Month this January shouldn’t just be business as usual.
“We think it’s a perfect opportunity to recognize our school board members for their hard work and commitment to improving outcomes for students across the state,” Troxell said. “It’s also the right time to remind everyone about the important role school boards have in the governance and oversight of public education.”
“With all the headlines, it would be easy to get the wrong impression of what school boards actually do,” Troxell said. “Here at TASB, we want to bring the focus back to the key work of our volunteer school board members, who are elected to help their districts establish a strategic plan, create budgets, adopt policies, and select and evaluate their superintendent.”
Troxell urged school districts across the state to help get that message out, especially during School Board Recognition Month in January.
TASB is also continuing to offer training and support for boards to improve how they collaborate as a team to ensure excellent governance through eXceptional Governance (XG) Board Development — customized learning based on best practices and research.
“Our goal is to help trustees build the skills and processes needed to support improved student success,” said Phil Gore, TASB’s division director for Board Development Services. “It’s never been more difficult to be a school board member, so we’re committed to equipping trustees with practical, hands-on practices so they can stay focused on the work they were elected to do.”
Special thanks to TASB.org
Jason Jones may be reached via email at [email protected]
