Typically, the response I receive from people when asked if they would ever want to be a school board member is, “No way!”  They say there is not enough money in the world for them to be on the board. They say it is a thankless job and that all everyone does is complain to board members. Some of the time they are right, it can be thankless job.  Yes, people do complain about everything from an athletic coach, a teacher, the administration, all the way to not having Wi-Fi in the gym during a basketball game.

The majority of days make being a school board member well worth it. I personally got on the board to be involved with my boys’ education, and I thought what better way than to run for the school board. I didn’t have an agenda or a teacher or coach in mind that just had to go. I just wanted to be involved with the decisions that affect my kids’ education. I have included below what our current school board said when asked why they ran for office:
Mr. Dave O’Brien became a school board member, “To try and bring positive change to the school system. I didn’t like the direction the school was going in and I wanted to get involved.”

Mr. Tom Craft became a school board member, “To change things where changes needed to be made to make it better for our kids.”
Mr. Todd Hoffman became a school board member, “To bring new and fresh ideas to the board room and to be a voice for the community’s concerns!”
Mr. Stan Miller became a school board member because, “I wanted to be more involved in my kids’ school to try to make it the best it can be. I enjoy being able to help make positive changes for our schools.”

As you can see from their responses, the primary reason for being a school board member is to make our schools the best they can be for the benefit of our kids.  Anyone attending a school board meeting will see that is what we are trying to do, within the State established guidelines and mandates. It is not an easy job, but when you see improved test scores, rising student achievement, growing student leadership, and have parents writing letters to our administrators saying they are glad their kids go to school at Valley, that’s what makes it all worthwhile. That is why you should consider becoming a school board member.  It’s a great way to make and keep Tippecanoe Valley’s schools the best they can be for our kids, our staff, and our community.