The packets may be picked up at the office of Business Administrator Gary Ottmann, 1200 Myrtle Ave. Signed petitions must be returned to Ottmann by 4 p.m. March 8.
Each year, three seats on the nine-member board are up for election. The winners of the April 27 election will serve three-year terms.
Incumbents up for r-election are Lenny Cathcart, Keisha Edwards and Katherine Peterson.
Interestingly in light of recent city controversies over service on boards and commissions, all the winners must commit to training on their roles and responsibilities in a sort of "boot camp" for school board members. Plaintalker found other examples online of boot camps for those who would serve on other types of boards. No such opportunity appears to exist for members of municipal boards and commissions, but maybe it should. If the Civic Responsibility Act of 2005 ever gets fully implemented, maybe a small informational packet with general duties would be helpful.
Anyone who commits to public service deserves the gratitude of the rest of us. It often takes a lot of time out of one's life and requires dealing with a wide range of people beyond family and friends. The commitment ranges from a year to maybe five years, depending on the entity. But it can be very rewarding, so if you are willing to serve on the school board for three years, now is your chance.
--Bernice
Bernice: as a member of the Historic Preservation Commission I commit to attend annual training. Most of us comply. Drew University offers a number of one-day seminars, and many of us have done CAMP, a national boot camp for HPC people.
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