IMESD will help school board members
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, September 27th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – There is help for school board members in this area. The InterMountain Education Service District is holding a training and conference this weekend at Blue Mountain Community College. IMESD Superintendent Mark Mulvihill said that he believes serving on a school board is the ultimate community service.
“You are giving a lot of time and effort for an unpaid volunteer job,” he said. “I think people sometimes think school board members are paid. That’s not the case. It’s an elected position. Board members are giving a lot of time to govern, and it’s really tough.”
What has always been a tough job has grown even tougher in recent years.
“There’s no secret that the polarization that’s going on in our country and in our state has exacerbated the situation,” he said. “School boards have been targeted politically.”
The event will begin with a dinner and a presentation from Haley Percell of the Oregon School Boards Association entitled “Legal Hot Topics and Questions.” The next morning after breakfast there will be five break-out sessions. Those include superintendent and school board relations, public complaints, and roles and responsibilities.
