Executive Director's Report
A unique opportunity to tell your story
By Anne L. Bryant
Serendipity, friendship, and saying Yes: All three acts came together for me and NSBA a year ago when I was asked by a good friend, Edie Fraser (a super-networker in Washington, D.C., who brings together the powerful, the interesting, and the less well-known) to contribute a chapter to a book she was authoring with Robyn Spizman.
Because of our friendship, and the idea of the book -- a series of inspirational lessons on how people can improve the lives of those in need -- I agreed to participate.
There were others more famous, more interesting, and certainly more powerful, who would also contribute chapters to Do Your Giving While You Are Living. But Edie knew I would use the pages to talk about a group of individuals whom I considered to be the ultimate volunteers, the best of America’s doers and givers, the people I’ve come to admire over the past 13 years -- school board members.
And so I told your story, briefly:
“Board members come from every walk of life. They are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, men and women, young and old. They are of every race and come from every type of professional background -- from farmers to lawyers to Indian chiefs.
“They represent much more than their communities -- they represent our kids. These are the people who have to find a way to put resources into the arts even when there’s nothing left in the budget. These are the people who go out and personally raise money to send a great high school band to a national competition. They’re the ones who make the tough decisions about closing a failing school.”
School board members “reflect the best kind of citizen governance.” They are different from other kinds of elected officials “because once they’re elected, school board members move beyond what they did or didn’t vote for and support local superintendents, teachers, and labor groups, all in the best interest of the students.”
School board members “have to be tough-skinned to fight for what they believe in. A board member who votes to change a school boundary may suddenly discover enemies she had no idea existed. A board member who argues against hiring new teachers will hear about it every time he walks into the supermarket or the hardware store! This is tough work, but so very important.
“One of the most challenging and rewarding ways to serve your community is by serving on its school board. If you’ve been looking for a way to contribute, and if you have a passion and vision for education, make your interest known. The school board movement needs volunteers who care deeply about improving teaching and learning.”
Now, Edie has another characteristic. Once she gets a project in mind, she is indefatigable. The publisher of Do Your Giving While You Are Living, Morgan James Publishing, is donating a portion of all its book sales to Habitat for Humanity, and with that objective in mind, Edie went all out to promote her book. She spoke about it at the National Press Club and organized book-signing parties with the participants signing “our chapters.”
But when she decided to invite all of us to join her in ringing the opening bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange last winter, I had a better idea. Why not have one of our best examples of a committed, engaging super-volunteer and board member go to represent all of you? So Anne Byrne, an NSBA board member and former president of the New York State School Boards Association, joined Edie that day.
For a few moments, the financial world recognized the important role that you play in our nation’s future. Thank you for being my role models and thank you for doing your giving every day -- while you are living.
Reproduced with permission from School Board News. Copyright © 2009, National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect positions of NSBA. This article may be printed out and photocopied for individual or educational use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise transmitted or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6789.