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The Board of Education meets in regular session the second Monday of every month in the Warroad High School Library at 7:00 p.m. The board encourages the public to attend.

What is a School Board
Whether in Warroad or anyplace else in Minnesota, the journey to becoming a School Board member often starts with the simple question, what is a school board, and what is the role of a school board member. The answer actually starts in the state constitution where it states; “The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools”[1]. Statutes enacted to fulfill this constitutional requirement provide more specific direction, such as: “The care, management, and control of independent districts is vested in a board of directors, to be known as the school board[2]”. “The board must superintend and manage the schools of the district; adopt rules for their organization, government, and instruction;[3]” “A member shall receive training in school finance and management developed in consultation with the Minnesota School Boards Association and consistent with section 127A.19[4]”.

A presenter at the state school board convention last January started his presentation by stating that public schools are among the most highly regulated institutions in existence, and conveyed his sympathies to all of the newly elected school board members in attendance. The presenter knew the levels of challenge and complexity that every school board faces, and commented that there undoubtedly are some that would seriously rethink their decision to run for the position if they knew then what they know now.

A school board is among the most basic republican forms of government, consisting of individual members that are elected by the citizens of their school district to exercise power for them. Each elected member enters the position with whatever experience, knowledge, imperfections and God given talents that they may have, and with an oath they join the 6 member board to serve their 4 year term.

As they join the Board, each board member commits to a Code of Ethics captured in District Policy 209, which includes a commitment to:
Recognize the integrity of their predecessors and associates, appreciate the merit of their work, make no disparaging remarks about other members of the school board or their opinions, and respect the right of other board members to have and express opinions
Recognize that it is their responsibility, together with other school board members, to see that the schools are properly run, not to run them themselves, and to work through the Administration employees of the school board – not over or around them, as they function in meeting the legal responsibility that is theirs as part of a policy-forming body – not as an administrative officer
Recognize that authority rests with the school board in legal session – not with the individual members of the school board except as authorized by law
Recognize that to promise in advance of a meeting how they will vote on any proposition is to close their mind and agree not to think through other points of view which may be presented to the meeting
Be motivated only by a desire to serve the pupils of the district
Attempt to appraise both the present and future educational needs of the district
Interpreting the needs and attitudes of the community and do their best to translate them into the educational programs
Give the superintendent authority commensurate with the responsibility, provide support for the superintendent and employees of the district so they may perform their proper functions on a professional level, recognize the status of the superintendent as an ex officio member of the school board

Board members face the reality that you cannot please all of the people all of the time. After considering the statutory and policy requirements, the voices of the voters, taxpayers, parents, students, and district employees, and the proposals, recommendations and data from the Administration, each board member must develop their own conclusions. After an opportunity to discuss the issues, a motion can be made and a vote taken. A majority vote will determine the Board’s position on the matter and provide direction to the Administration, the district, and the Board.

Since forming in January, the current Board has faced its share of challenges. As individual board members, we attempt to operate within the standards that we have committed to. Living by these standards, differences of opinion and debate are inevitable, perhaps required. As we focus on the district’s mission, there should be no difference in our commitment to these standards and our good faith effort to make the best individual judgments that we can for the district and the electorate.

A School Board is a group of 6 citizens, elected by their neighbors, focused on doing their individual best to honor these commitments and fulfill these duties.

Gary Daniels
School Board Chair
District 690

[1] ARTICLE XIII Section 1.
[2] 123B.09 BOARDS OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICTS. Subdivision 1.
[3] 123B.09 Subdivision 8
[4] 123B.09 Subdivision 2