The school board is one of the most essential parts of the district. It is responsible for making elected decisions regarding budget approvals, personnel reports, teaching contracts, and many other important matters. It is made up of seven members who all serve a four-year term with an election that is held every two years, providing an opportunity for fresh faces. To have their name placed on the ballot, one must live inside the district. Additionally, candidates must gather 75 signatures from fellow residents, which helps keep the community involved. Meetings are held twice a month, and they are required by law to have a publicized agenda. This means all topics for upcoming conferences are made available on the high school’s website. This online resource is helpful with staying informed and involved in school events.
Shari Funck has been on the board for 11 years now and has been the president for five of them. Throughout the years, she has served through various challenges including COVID, security concerns, and new district infrastructure. She feels that it can take a toll on her at times because her main goal is to help as much as she can. Funck said, “It can be difficult at times because people might not always agree. I care a lot about the students. Everyone cares about the students and the community.” When they end up needing to make a decision, everyone’s votes have the same amount of power. They have an uneven number of members causing the vote to never split. Upon a disagreement, Funck believes that the group can have a healthy discussion to weigh in everyone’s opinion. She said, “In the end, when the vote is made, all seven members get behind it and stand behind it, even if it wasn’t initially how you voted when the decision was made.” Funck is very proud of what an amazing group they have crafted. They work together well as a team and all strive to do the best they can.
Every meeting held is a little bit different. The superintendent writes board notes on the topics they are going to discuss. Funck said, “She, a lot of times, will give us background information in the notes so that we can educate ourselves beforehand.” This helps them get an understanding of the topic before the discussions are held. Anyone from the community can come in to view the meeting and participate in the public comment portion. When listening to the comments board members are not allowed to comment back, they’re only allowed to listen to the advice and opinions. COVID brought along many bumps in the road, but one positive is the integration of online meetings. People can listen in from anywhere; unfortunately, if they are online, that means they are not allowed to participate in public comment. This also applies to the members of the board meaning they can call in and vote online if they’re not able to make it. If someone is gone and the vote happens to be tied, Funck is the deciding factor.
Putting the time and effort into shaping the district is not an easy task but rather a substantial and demanding one. Many of the duties completed by the school board go unnoticed and often unappreciated. It’s easy to overlook the countless hours of meetings and discussions that take place behind the scenes.
