School Board Recognition Programs
Say THANK YOU to Your Local School Board!
In January, many state school board associations and their school systems recognize the work and dedication of school board members in their state.
Take a moment and browse the below document and see what your state school boards association is doing to say "THANK YOU" to your neighbors who are school board members.
If your state school boards association is not listed, it's probably an oversight on our part, but feel free to contact your state school boards association and see what is happening. Need a phone number? Click on the State Associations of School Boards link on the sidebar.
School board members are the dedicated few who you elected or appointed to represent your community's values and thinking about public education in your community. And the bottom line for these individuals is keeping alive the dream of public education for every child and making sure students achieve and succeed.
NSBA initiated National School Board Recognition Month in 1995 when its Delegate Assembly adopted a resolution for school board recognition month. States followed suit by dedicating a time of the year to recognize the contributions of local board members.
NSBA knows that school boards are — and should be recognized as — a proud heritage of our country. School boards are democracy in action.
Quick History on School Boards
In 1721, local government authorities in Boston delegated part of their control over schools to lay citizens. Why? In a nutshell, the town selectmen were burdened with the details of education as defined by the Massachusetts Laws of 1642 (establishing the right of the government to demand universal and literacy) and the Old Deluder Law of 1647 (establishing compulsory schools for the young).
In 1826 Massachusetts took the final step in the evolution of a district school board by ordering each town in the state to elect a separate school committee to have "the general charge and superintendence of all the public schools" of the town. This law marks the final transfer of educational functions from the selectmen to the new body, created specifically for administering public education in the towns.