January 2014 is School Board Recognition Month, a time to say a formal "thank you" to a dedicated group of individuals - our volunteer school board members. The theme this year is "Together, We Achieve." This reflects our district's commitment to working in partnership with our community to provide opportunities for ALL children to succeed.
School board members in USD 331 Kingman-Norwich develop policies and make decisions that help shape the future of our education system, and in turn our community. They are entrusted by the Kingman and Norwich communities with the responsibility of an annual budget of $10 million, 950 students, 175 employees and three attendance buildings.
Our board of education, and the hundreds like it across the state, preserves the core of our democracy - public education. They ensure that decisions affecting our communities' children are made by people we have elected locally to represent our communities' values, culture and circumstances.
Showing appreciation for the important work of school boards should be a year-round process, but too often we neglect to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent us. This January, the staff and students of our district are asking all members of the community to take a moment and thank a school board member. Thank them for giving of their time and fulfilling this civic responsibility to make local control of public schools in our community possible.
We applaud them for their vision and their willingness to accept the responsibility of today's students to become tomorrow's leaders. The men and women serving USD 331 Kigman-Norwich and their years of service are:
Board President: Tammy Schrag - 3 years
Board Vice-president: Matt Ricke - 3 years
Board Member: Jeff Branstetter - 3 years
Board Member: David Lux - 3 years
Board Member: Jeff Samuelson - 1 year
Board Member: Andrea Shipley - 5 years
Board Member: Allen Young - 11 years
Sincerely,
Robert, G. Diepenbrock, Superintendent of Schools