Passion is our payment

After serving on your local school boards for a period of time, you will soon find out that this is not a job or a position but a passion. We have one of the few elected positions where people serve with no pay but face a lot of political and community responsibilities. We are unpaid officials who, like paid officials, must answer to the state and are subject to audits, ethics and other legal issues.

When I first ran for the school board, I didn’t realize it would turn into a passion. Once we’re elected and start attending meetings and trainings, that passion kicks in really quickly. As you remain on your local board and become more vested in your district, you soon develop a deep concern and desire to help it in any way possible. Here are some of the ways you can.

Power. After you learn the board works as a group and one person can’t make a decision for the whole board, the word “power” comes into play. A single member has no power, but as a whole board you do. There are no individual agendas in the boardroom – only a board one. Everyone is given the opportunity to be heard, but a single agenda item isn’t passed unless it’s something the board agrees upon as a whole.

by William Campbell ASBA President

Advocate. As board members, we are the biggest advocates for the district we represent. This includes advocating for our students, teachers, administrators and school systems as a whole. Board members should always advocate for their districts and be one of the top spokespeople for their schools.

Selflessness. We took on the responsibilities of being a board member with the understanding that there is no pay involved. We give our time each month to attend board meetings, board trainings, and many other functions on behalf of our school districts. When decisions are being made, it is not about what we want, but about the needs of the students.

Servant. We are servants to our school districts as well as to the community that elected us. We give up our free time to attend meetings, trainings and other events on behalf of our schools, and there are times when we even help work some of the events.

Impactful. Our decisions impact the future of our youth, teachers, and our communities as a whole. There are many times when I have been approached by someone who graduated from our school district, and they remembered and thanked me for making an impact on their lives.

Objective. As visionaries for our schools, we must be objective and always do what’s best for the children, even when it comes to the hard decisions. We must remain open-minded because the end results we seek are what’s best for the children we serve.

Nobility. We are held to a higher standard, and we should always think of our school districts in the same manner. We should always expect the best of our schools, and in order to receive the best we must give our best.

For those of us who are veteran board members, let’s share the passion that we have and continue to be the best members that we can be and show it within our communities. Just look at it as the pay that we receive for a job that we enjoy!