Due to length restrictions and the general content of my story, I was unable to include all of the valuable information I had gathered during my interviews with each of the seven Columbia Public School Board members. In this blog I will share additional information from those interviews.
To read the printed article “Columbia School Board members say time on board is well spent,” click here.
I ended my piece with what School Board President Jan Mees considers to be the major question the board must continuously work to answer: “How do we make sure our children get the best education while living within our means and keeping the community happy while making sure every I gets dotted and T gets crossed?”
One way board members accomplish this task is by holding themselves accountable for the work they do as an advocate for the school district. While each member expressed different responsibilities, many had similar themes.
Most board members consider creating the annual school district budget, developing policies, overseeing district administration and keeping the public informed to be major responsibilities. The following are some specific responses board members shared with me during the interviews.
School Board Vice President Tom Rose, elected in 2008 (appointed in 2007), said, “We are there to set policy and then see that policy is followed through the superintendent and down thorough the district.” He also noted that members should remember to represent the desires of the community whenever possible. “We’re the eyes for the community in the system,” he said. Rose added that the board must not only strive to improve the district’s quality of a education, but also be a good employer, a board responsibility that is sometimes overlooked.
Ines Segert, elected in 2008, said board members have the following major responsibilities:
- Use money wisely and make sure money is well-spent
- Make sure the district is providing students with a rigorous and appropriate curriculum, so that all kids can succeed at all levels
- Think long-term, so that 5 to 10 years down the line the board is still progressing to get students what they need
- Listen to parents and respect taxpayers
- Ask tough questions to help secure the board’s role in the district’s checks and balances system. “A person is not elected to the board just to support the administration. A person is elected to the board to watch over the administration,” Segert said.
Christine King, elected April 2009, said, “It’s my job not to analyze (issues) in a negative manner, but to ask the questions our constituents would ask.” She said board members are responsible for making sure the public understands why they make certain decisions and votes. King mentioned working as a team and managing Superintendent Chris Belcher as other major responsibilities board members share.
Michelle Pruitt, elected April 2009, considers representing those who elected her to the board as her most important responsibility. She said doing so requires her to ask questions they would want to have answered, as well as making sure important issues get on the agenda. Pruitt also said in general, board members must be familiar with policies, inform themselves and read where constituents are getting their information from.
