The Brookings School District will join school districts throughout the state to salute our local school governing leaders during South Dakota’s annual School Board Recognition Week Feb. 18-22.
This commemorative week, designed to recognize the contributions made by school board members across South Dakota, is a special time to acknowledge the work and dedication to the service of school board members in each school district in South Dakota. Specifically, in the Brooking School District, we are blessed to have dedicated leaders who take their charge of governing the work of the Brookings public schools in a visionary, community-minded way.
School board members are chosen by their communities through election or appointment to govern school actions through policy. Board members oversee multimillion dollar budgets which fund education programs and services here in Brookings for more than 3,400 students in our six schools. Their personnel decisions affect nearly 500 educational staff members including teachers, administrators, teacher assistants, custodians, child-nutrition workers, secretaries, bus drivers and other educational specialists and personnel all for the improvement of schools to better serve students.
These leaders are also 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 board training programs and personal study to enhance their understanding of these issues. The work of board members, while challenging at times, can be extremely rewarding and gratifying as they seek to improve the schools and community they serve.
On behalf of the entire community, I would ask that you join me in sharing our deepest appreciation to the dedicated men and women who make it possible for local citizens to participate in education in our community. We salute the public servants of the Brookings School Board whose commitment and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in our community possible. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mellissa Heermann (board president), Van Fishback (board vice president), Wes Tschetter, Deb DeBates and Roger DeGroot, we can continue to have a visionary school district that embraces the opportunities to innovate and lead in an effort to support the successes of our students and district staff.
Please join us by saying thanks to our school board members during South Dakota’s School Board Recognition Week.
