School board leader advises candidates on training
Dec. 25—With two members citing the heavy time commitment as a reason for leaving the Board of Education, potential candidates are being advised to be aware of what the post entails.
So far, 11 people have filed for the open seats, and the board's leader says he wants to remind them of the time commitments involved if they win.
At least 18 hours of mandatory training, offered by the Missouri School Boards Association, is required by St. Joseph School District policy, Board President David Foster said. Even though board members are unpaid volunteers, they are prompted to sign that they will comply with policy when they get sworn about two weeks after the April 4 election.
Two open seats are available after incumbents Rick Gilmore and Phil Vandel decided not to run for reelection, both in part citing time conflicts. So, Foster said, he's keen to highlight this rule so that nobody is caught off guard before they find themselves on the board.
"Some of the things you learn would include, obviously, you have to show up once a month for a board meeting," Foster said. "Then we have four committees as of right now, and we may be adding two more later. And so, when you participate on these — you don't have to come to the committees, but I recommend that if you're a new board member, that you show up at everything you can — you'll need to be as informed as you should be."
School board service is considered to be a first step for someone who has an interest in elected office because the training covers things like the rules of order, which govern who can talk and at what times. The operations of a school district and what a board member can and cannot do on their own to change this are also covered in the training.
Ethical responsibilities also are discussed. In general, board members must not accept any kind of financial boon for their service, and if they are district employees before they are elected, they must quit before they are sworn in. Career teachers, for example, who join the board often work for agencies other than the St. Joseph School District during their term of service.
Foster said the most important thing to learn in all of this is that school boards have seven members, and nothing happens without at least four "aye" votes.
"At the end of the day, you're just one of seven, and it takes at least four of us to get anything done," Foster said. "So, you do have to work as a team, and you do have to see what you can do to not only talk, but be a good listener."
Those interested in running for the school board have one last opportunity to do so from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, at the school district's administrative headquarters, 1415 N. 26th St.
Marcus Clem can be reached at marcus.clem@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NPNowClem
