Thank your local school board members

     May is School Board Recognition Month and an opportunity for local schools and communities to honor more than 2,000 locally elected school board members for their dedication to children and schools.

     Those serving, volunteering their time, with the Monticello Community School District Board of Education are: John Schlarmann, Craig Stadtmueller, Mandy Norton, Bud Johnson, and Dave Melchert.

     Board members are locally elected, non-salaried public officials entrusted with the task of providing the direction for the education of students not just in Monticello, Iowa, but all across the state. The board of education is a uniquely American institution, dating from the earliest days of the 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. That demands sound knowledge in several key areas including leadership, school improvement, school finance, advocacy and more, while keeping student achievement as the board’s primary focus.

     Iowa school board members represent a continuing commitment to local citizen decision-making in public education. Each week, they donate their personal time in service to Iowa students.

     The State of Iowa has 333 school districts with five- or seven-member school boards. Board members may be elected at large or from director districts, and serve four-year terms.

K-12 public school board data:

     • Board seats in Iowa – 1,893

     • Male board members – 61 percent

     • Female board members – 39 percent

     • Five-member boards – 219

     • Seven-member boards – 114

     • Student enrollment 2016-17 – 485,147

     • Total General Fund Revenues 2016-17 – $5.8 billion