Honoring Our School Board Members

January, 2020

Dear Au Gres-Sims Community,

The month of January marks the observance of School Board Recognition Month.  On behalf of our entire educational community, we wish to recognize and thank the elected members of our Au Gres-Sims School Board who voluntarily act as servant leaders for our students and district.  This is an opportunity to show our year-round appreciation and begin to better understand how local trustees work together to prepare today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders.  We encourage you to join with others throughout our community, state, and nation to salute the men and women who provide grassroots governance of public schools.

The key to a brighter future for Michigan’s children is a strong public education system.  Every day, students count on public schools to help prepare them for a successful future.  Whether students understand it or not, they count on adults across the state ensuring they have access to resources to help them learn, keep their buildings safe, and have qualified teachers to guide them.  It takes a pure, unwavering commitment to a community to make this all possible.

Yet, at the end of the day, the true super heroes contributing to the success of our students are just ordinary citizens with extraordinary dedication to public schools; our school board members.  These individuals approach their volunteer work like it is a full-time job and, for some, they value their work on the board as more important than their chosen profession.

Their job is to establish a vision for the education program, design a structure to achieve that vision, ensure schools are accountable to the community, and strongly advocate for continuous improvement in student learning.  The job of a school board member is tough, the hours long, and the “Thanks” few and far between.  Too often we’re quick to criticize school board members without really understanding the complex nature of their decisions.  We have to remember to take time to thank them for their untiring efforts. 

Please help us in recognizing and expressing gratitude to our Au Gres-Sims School Board members for their fantastic leadership and commitment to educational excellence!