I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the members of the St. Paul School Board as local heroes for our schools. The month of January is set aside nationally as a month to recognize school board members across the nation for their efforts in support of local school districts. As your district superintendent, I have witnessed first hand the contribution, dedication, and commitment exhibited by the following individuals as your school board representatives.
Board Chair, Ben Coleman, Board Vice Chair, Tim Crawford, board members, Nora Cain, Sean Connor, Doug Wyss, Genoveva Elias, and Kylee Williams.
This group of individuals has consistently demonstrated a commitment to maintaining high quality instruction and exceptional programs and activities for all students who attend St. Paul public schools.
Our school board members spend countless hours of unpaid time working to provide the best possible education for our students, They also serve as the corporate board of directors for our community’s largest employer. Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one way to 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. They also reinforce the principle of local control over public education, which is an important, highly valued aspect of education in Oregon.
The school board’s main goal is to support student achievement. To accomplish 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.
The past year has been challenging for all the 196 school districts in Oregon. Please join me in thanking each of our board members for their continued support and dedication to this work.
Even though we are making a special effort during January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part. They are dedicated individuals who are committed to improving student achievement and to fighting for the best for all of our students.
Sincerely,
Joseph M. Wehrli
St. Paul School District
Superintendent/Elementary Principal
