Board Meeting November 9, 2011

Please refer to the minutes for more details about the meeting. 

The Reports from Board Members have been limited to 3 minute.  To be an effective board member requires more than spending 2 to 3 hours a month at a board meeting.  Getting to know staff, faculty, students, and parents, as well as being aware of the activities and future goals is of paramount importance.  Furthermore, the review and revision of school policy should be a priority of any effective School Board.  This particular issue has been ignored, against my many requests.  I use my School Board Report time to mention programs I hear and/or read about that would be good for us to consider as a School Board.  I also take time to give accolades to teachers, staff, and students for the great things I have seen, heard, or participated in, during the previous month.  I attend AZ School Board Association Conferences to learn what we should be doing, but we never act upon any.  Because my fellow School Board Members do not wish to schedule work sessions, the School Board Meeting is the only time I have to get my thoughts and ideas to the other School Board Members.  We cannot collaborate and plan based on the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle, I have learned so much about during School Board trainings from AZ School Board Association, without Work Sessions.  I would hope to be given more than 3 minutes to apprise my constituents of my efforts on their behalf.   In the remaining 1.5 minutes of my time I will only be able to mention the items I would have discussed, such as: the upcoming Golf Tournament sponsored by the American Legion Family of Post 24, the Governor’s Symposium where I learned about Arizona Ready and various science initiatives, and the Fall Harvest Festival I attended at Huachuca City School.  I would also request that when teachers or student groups want to leave the state for travel, they come before the School Board to request permission in person, just as the student of the Future Farmers of America did, and I would like an update on programs we have approved, such as Kids Hope USA.