Editorial

Thank a school trustee today

Posted

It is probably among the nation’s most thankless jobs –– Board of Education trustee. School board members spend untold hours doing the business of their districts for the sake of local children, and receive no monetary compensation.

They do, however, hear the often-angry taunts when things go wrong.

Unlike any other elected office, school board trustee is an unpaid position, despite the awesome educational and budgetary responsibilities that come with the job. Yup, trustees are volunteers.

That is why the New York State School Boards Association created School Board Recognition Week, which this year is this week, to say thank you to the men and women who serve so admirably on local boards of education.

The school board is truly a democratic institution. For the most part, trustees are elected by the local people whom they serve. In this way, the boards are directly accountable to the people. Board meetings are held locally, in the schools, so any district residents with grievances can attend and voice them –– and that they do.

The ancient Greeks, founders of democracy, would be proud.

But serving as a board member is a hard job. People –– particularly Long Islanders –– are passionate about the quality of education their children receive, and, of course, the property taxes that come with providing a first-rate education. School board trustees walk a fine line between giving children all they need to succeed in today’s hyper-competitive marketplace and keeping taxes as low as possible.

So, for all they do, we thank our Board of Education trustees, and we ask all of our readers to do the same.

School boards by the numbers

New York has 691 public school districts, each with its own Board of Education. Except for New York City and Yonkers, board members are publicly elected. The number of board members in these districts ranges from three to 13, but most have seven.

New York also has 37 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, which provide shared educational programs and services to school districts across the state. BOCES boards range from seven to 15 members, but most often have nine. BOCES board members are elected by their local school boards.

Number of school board seats in New York: 5,106
Male board members: 56 percent
Female board members: 44 percent
Most board members serve six or more years.
Most board members spend six hours per week on board work.

Source: New York State School Boards Association