February 2007
Get on Board ... Your Local School Board
By Kevin E. Ciak, president
New Jersey School Boards Association
Dear Editor,
You've wanted to get involved with your community. You value education, and perhaps you've considered public service. Well, it might be time to get on board ... your local school board.
As a school board member for over 12 years, I can tell you that serving on a local board of education can be challenging, but also truly rewarding. School board members are part of the team that fosters community engagement, shapes education policy, and creates the framework for student achievement.
Feb. 26 is the deadline for candidates to submit their nominating petitions, the document that gets their names on the ballot. The annual school election will be held April 17.
School boards are unpaid, nonpartisan bodies that ensure accountability, effectiveness and efficiency in schools. School boards don't run the school district; that's the job of the superintendent. Rather, school boards serve as the liaison between the community and the school district, and they work with their superintendents to set goals for the district. School boards annually evaluate the superintendent, oversee their school district budget, approve curriculum, and represent the public in contract negotiations.
School board members must make, and often defend, difficult decisions. Working on a school board requires a thick skin, a commitment of time, and the ability to compromise with others to achieve goals. But in return, your efforts can improve the education of every child in your community's public schools.
If elected, you won't go it alone. The New Jersey School Boards Association provides training, assistance and advocacy to every school board in the state. To help you decide whether to run for office, NJSBA also offers a Candidate Kit that details the roles and responsibilities of school board members, and the process to get one's name on the ballot. The Candidate Kit can be obtained online at www.njsba.org, or through your local school district's business office.
I encourage you to make a difference in your community, and get on board!
Sincerely,
Kevin E. Ciak, president
New Jersey School Boards Association
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Kevin E. Ciak is a member of the Sayreville Board of Education in Middlesex County, and is serving as president of the New Jersey School Boards Association.
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