Consider becoming a member of the Monticello School Board

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

     The 2017 School Board Election is set for Tuesday, Sept. 12. Three seats are up for election on the Monticello Board of Education.

     Serving on the school board is one of the most rewarding and important roles you’ll ever play in our community. School board members from across the state often share that being a school board member is a challenging and richly fulfilling responsibility. As an elected board member, you are entrusted with the task of providing the direction of the education of the youth in our community. The board of education is a uniquely American institution dating from the earliest days of our country. It has made the public schools flexible and responsive to the needs of local communities.

     Nearly 2,000 men and women serve on local boards in Iowa, guiding the education of nearly 500,000 young people in 333 school districts. In Monticello, there are five school board members who serve four-year terms, with elections taking place in odd-numbered years. School board members come from all walks of life. They are men and women, business owners, professional people, farmers, retirees, young parents and community members. They are Iowans. The common thread among them is their desire to serve the children and families of their communities.

     An individual considering a position on the school board should believe public education is important, support the democratic process, willingly devote time and energy to board work, respect educators, and have the ability to examine the facts and make a decision. Citizens wanting to run for a position on the board must be 18 years old, a citizen of the United States, a citizen of the school district, an eligible elector of the district, and free from a financial conflict of interest with the position.

     The first date to file nomination papers with the Board Secretary is July 10. The candidate-filing deadline is 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 3. All nomination materials and information are available online on the Iowa Association of School Boards website at http://www.iasb.org/elections or at the Iowa Secretary of State website at https://sos.iowa.gov/electioninfo/schoolelections.html or a packet may be picked up at the District Office located at 711 S. Maple St., Monticello. School board candidates must obtain 45 signatures to file nomination papers.

     If you are interested in more information about the Monticello Community School District, we encourage you to look at our website and read about our Strategic Operating Plan, district policies, school board minutes, and our monthly newsletters.

     If you know of anyone that would be interested in becoming a board member, please feel free to pass this information along to them as well.

     Please contact the District Office at 319-465-5963 if you have questions or if we can help in any way. Thank you for your consideration!

Dr. Brian Jaeger

Monticello Superintendent

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