Community celebrates ‘School Board Recognition Month’
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Tuesday, January 12th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
BAKER CITY – (Release from the Baker School District) The Baker School District will join the other 196 school districts throughout Oregon to celebrate January as “School Board Recognition Month,” Baker 5J Superintendent Mark Witty announced Monday, January 11, 2021.
“Our school board members spend countless hours of unpaid time working to provide the best possible education for our students,” said District Superintendent Witty. “They also serve as the corporate board of directors for one of our community’s largest employers. Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one way we can say thanks for all they do.”
“School board members represent their fellow citizens’ views and priorities in the complex enterprise of maintaining and running the community’s public schools,” Witty said. “They also reinforce the principle of local control over public education, which is an important, highly valued aspect of education in Oregon.”
“Too often the efforts of school board members go unrecognized. We are lucky to have such a cohesive group of leaders,” Witty said. “Our board remains positive, focused and united while managing some of the toughest conditions schools have ever faced. Their commitment to Baker 5J students, staff and families has been unwavering.”
“Our board members are hard-working individuals who demonstrate commitment to their role every month of the year,” said Witty. “They participate in ongoing training on educational issues and school management and serve in leadership roles that allow them to advocate for education at the regional, statewide and national level.”
According to Oregon School Board Association (OSBA) a school board’s main goal is to support student achievement. To achieve that goal, the board focuses on the following needs:
•Creating a vision for what parents and citizens want their school district to become and how to make student achievement the top priority
•Setting standards for what students must learn and be able to do
•Assessing whether schools achieve their goals, and whether students are learning
•Accounting for the outcomes of decisions and by tracking progress and reporting results
•Aligning the use of the district’s human and financial resources
•Creating a safe and orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach
•Collaborating to solve common problems and to support common successes
•Focusing on continuous improvement by questioning, examining, revising, refining and revisiting issues related to student achievement.
Throughout January, 5J Board members will receive individual and collective messages of support and appreciation from staff and students in recognition of the tremendous effort they put in on behalf of schools.
“Even though we make a special effort during January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect year-round commitment and effort on their part,” Witty said.
About the Baker School District
Nationally recognized Baker School District 5J (BSD) is a major employer in Baker City, OR, serving 1,700 students locally with an additional 3,000 online students across the state of Oregon. Through enterprising, collaborative endeavors, BSD is creating an innovative educational foundation for future Oregonians. BSD believes strong school collaboration with local partners enables us to create vibrant communities that support lifelong learners.
