The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

January 2012 is School Board Recognition Month, a time when districts across the state show their appreciation for the pivotal role elected boards of education play in their local schools and communities.

More than 7,200 locally elected school board members serve—without pay—in the 1,034 school districts located throughout the state.

“The people who make up these boards volunteer their time because they care about their communities and their schools. Each year, the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) designates January as School Board Recognition Month to emphasize the importance of the service these dedicated men and women provide to the schools and students of Texas,” said James B. Crow, TASB executive director.

“These community servants focus on ensuring the success of their local school district and serve as strong advocates for our kids. In a time of financial uncertainty, they are willing to step forward to meet the critical challenges facing our public schools, working to balance the district budget while still providing excellent educational experiences for each child,” Crow said.

“We hope every community will express appreciation to our local board members for their dedicated commitment and offer support to the school board as it tackles the important task of governing. Local trustees work closely with parents and educators to develop sound education policies in their district and set high standards for student success. We applaud them for shouldering enormous responsibilities and making the time to care about the future of Texas schoolchildren,” he said.

TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school districts. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve approximately 4.9 million public school students.