January 22, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
January 27-31, 2020, is School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee. This week helps build awareness and understanding of the vital functions locally elected boards of education play in the community.
The DeKalb County School District is joining public school districts from across the state to celebrate School Board Appreciation Week and honor local board members for their commitment to DeKalb County and its children. “Our school system is the backbone of our community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.. “There is no greater honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen than membership on a local board of education. They spend countless hours studying the issues and regulations and make the tough decisions when called upon to ensure the type of accountability people expect.”
Cripps said the key work of school boards is to:
• Create a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;
• Establish standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do;
• Ensure progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;
• Create a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach;
• Form partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and
• Focus attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement. “Our local school board impacts every student every day in DeKalb County by influencing the high quality of education that our children and youth receive. The DeKalb County school board shows its commitment to educational excellence and equity – and for that we are very grateful for their attitude of service,” added Director Cripps.
The members serving DeKalb County are as follows: Danny Parkerson, Alan Hayes, Jim Beshearse, Kate Miller, W.J. (Dub) Evins, III, Doug Stephens, and Shaun Tubbs.