Want to join the school board?

The school board recently shrank in number. Which means that there are fewer positions available. Whether this is better (more efficient) or worse (less diverse, less transparent) might be debatable. I tend to think it will be worse in the long run.

What is not debatable, is that now is the time to start thinking about joining the school board. The pay is terrible and the time commitment is pretty significant, but then again, your contribution can be pretty significant too. And those who have been on the school board before have described the work as quite interesting.

What is also not debatable is that school boards work best when they have intelligent, hard working members who are invested in improving the schools.

Which is why I am telling you that according to the AAPS website,
three seats on the Board of Education will be available this spring:
one 2-year term, expiring June 30, 2011;
two 4-year terms, expiring June 30, 2013.
Sorry, I don't know if any incumbents are running, but don't let that stop you, even if they are.

And an information session is scheduled for Inauguration Night (great timing!), Tuesday, January 20, 2009 5:30 p.m., Balas Administration Building, 2555 S. State Street.

You don't have to go to the information session to run for office. The details can be found here, with detailed nuts and bolts information from the county clerk (who now runs school elections).