May is School Board Recognition Month

   Hello Monticello Community.

   As we close in on the end of the school year it is my honor to share that May is School Board Recognition Month. We are very lucky to have some hard working, positive, and student-centered school board members in our school district. We have had many important issues to consider over the last year and seeing this group listen to opinions, consider all the options, and make responsible decisions has been a real positive for our school district. Each of our board members has contributed a lot of time and energy to making decisions that are good for our schools and good for our community. I am very proud of the work they have accomplished and even more excited about the future as they continue to make our school district the best that it can be.

   There are 325 school districts in the state of Iowa and those districts represent over 493,000 students. The board members in those districts represent a continuing commitment to local citizen decision making in public education. Each month, they donate their personal time in service to Iowa students. In our school district we have a five-person school board and I want to take a moment to recognize them and say thanks to each of our school board members in the Monticello Community School District (MCSD) for their time and dedication. Thank you to Craig Stadtmueller (president), Mandy Norton (vice president), John Schlarmann, Tony Amsler, and Mark Rieken for their continued support of the MCSD.

   In the MCSD, school board members are locally elected to four-year terms. They are non-salaried, nonpartisan, public officials entrusted with the task of providing the direction for the education of our students. The board of education is a uniquely American institution, dating from the earliest days of our country. It has made public schools flexible and responsive to local community needs. Today, public schools are being asked to raise the bar of academic achievement, while remaining good stewards of the public’s investment in education. These elected volunteers create school policy, approve curricula, develop innovative opportunities, maintain school facilities, and make important decisions regarding school finance, including budgets and taxes. Their contribution to our community demands sound knowledge in several key areas, including leadership, school improvement, school finance, and advocacy.

   If you have a moment, I encourage you to email our board members and let them know you appreciate all they do for our children in the MCSD. I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to all of our school board members on behalf of the MCSD. Their hard work to make our school district better is noticed and very appreciated.