Volunteers help the children
John Heim
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.”
— Robert Frost
AS I WRITE, we are in the final days of lively local election campaigns for the Board of Education and City Commission. By the time this is published, the outcome of both elections will be known. It is gratifying to see so many citizens willing to run for public office, and regardless of the conclusion, our community stands to win.
Public service is a tough job at any level. Elected and appointed officials are frequently subjected to criticism and second-guessing because of decisions or positions taken on issues. Nevertheless, Emporia had 16 people willing to serve as city commissioners and school board members. I am particularly pleased that eight well-qualified candidates filed for a seat on the Board of Education. The new board members will officially take office at our first meeting in the July
Board service is a big responsibility because board decisions affect our most important resource — our children — and our pocketbooks. You may not realize that board members receive no pay whatsoever. They have two regular meetings a month, but are also called upon to serve on district committees and other community boards and attend countless other events during the month. They also have regular homework so they are well-informed about issues that will eventually come before them for a decision. Their work requires a major commitment of personal time.
Board members are not the only people who volunteer significant amounts of time to assist the schools. For many years, Emporia boards of education have asked parent, business and community volunteers to provide input on important issues. The district has a number of standing and special committees that include community representatives. Every year, we assemble a Calendar Committee to recommend a school calendar for future years. Last month, our board approved the 2008-2009 calendar based on the work of the Calendar Committee.
We also rely on community input for use of our financial resources. Approximately 60 people recently served on the Performance-Based Budgeting Committee, which identified spending priorities for the 2007-08 budget. Half of the committee was made up of parent and community volunteers. Later this month, we will present the results of their work to the Board of Education as we begin to develop the budget. We also make use of the expertise of several financial professionals who serve on the District Audit Committee. This group reviews the financial audit with our auditor and recommends changes in policies and procedures to strengthen our fiscal integrity.
A third committee helps the district establish a long-range plan for capital outlay projects. The district owns a significant amount of land and buildings which require regular upkeep. The list of needed projects always exceeds the available funds and the Capital Outlay Committee, made up of district and community representatives, helps our board establish the priority of projects over a multi-year period.
Community members serve on the District Technology Committee and the Instructional Council, both of which make important recommendations regarding curriculum. It also has been our tradition to solicit community input for a number of special projects such as setting boundaries, planning for new schools, creating a strategic plan, and writing a wellness policy.
Sometimes we worry about relying too much on community volunteers. We have a Board of Education that is elected to make decisions and a professional staff hired to operate the district. Frankly, it would be quicker to do our work without asking for input. However, I believe our structure allows us to operate as a more transparent organization and make better decisions for our most precious resource — the children.