2008 has come and gone….where do all the years go? For the last 14 years, I have had the pleasure of living and working in San Saba for San Saba ISD. During my time at San Saba ISD, I have had the opportunity of working for many wonderful School Board Members. I would like to take this week’s column to recognize all past and current members and talk a bit about school boards in general. January is School Board Recognition Month, and one month out of the year is small recognition for these dedicated individuals. The current School Board Trustees for San Saba ISD are President, Darrin Barker; Vice - President, Marcie Maxcey; Secretary, Bob Whitten and members Elmo Davis; Angela Johnson; Kim Kirk; and Susie Nettleship. Each of these trustees are elected to serve rotating 3 year terms. What are some of the qualifications to be a school board member? School board members must be a citizen of the United States, be 18 years of age or older on the first day of the term to be filled at the election and must be a resident of Texas and the District.

Trustees serve without compensation and are required to receive and attend mandatory training in areas such as local orientation, open meeting and open records training, basics of the Education Code, Legislative Updates, and Team Building. In addition to training, your trustees attend vision and planning meetings to set short term and long term goals for the District. The San Saba ISD School Board members attend monthly meetings held on the second Monday of each month. Additionally, other meetings are held at strategic times of the year to address items such as budget. Additionally, you will notice your members at most all school events. We have a committed group of school trustees who make an effort to support the campus and district events. School board members serve countless hours working to make public education the best it can be for every child. In a climate of change and challenge, they develop policies and make tough decisions on complex educational and social issues that affect the entire community and the lives of individual students. Preparing today’s students to be productive citizens and the leaders of tomorrow is a tremendous task. As elected officials, school board members are the voice of their communities, serving first and foremost the best interest of our schoolchildren.

January is School Board Recognition Month. This is a time to show our appreciation and begin to better understand how local trustees work together to provide a better future for our children. The mission of the public schools is to educate each and every child to the fullest of his or her potential. Please take the opportunity to thank our local school board some time during School Board Recognition Month.

Please remember that our website is the key to keeping up-to-date on school happenings. Please visit www.san-saba.net to view events and find information you need to know about SSISD.

Basketball is in full swing! Please try to make it to a 7/8 grade game at the White gym on Monday nights, or catch a game at Armadillo Arena on Tuesday or Friday nights.

If you have any questions about this article or any other question about school happenings please contact me at 325/372-3144.