The Newberg School District is joining school districts throughout Oregon to celebrate January as “School Board Recognition Month.”

“Our school board members spend countless hours of unpaid time working to provide the best possible education for our students,” said district Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza. “They also serve as the corporate board of directors for one of our community’s largest employers. Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one way to say thanks for all they do.”

Todd Thomas, Polly Peterson, Melinda Van Bossuyt, Ron Mock, Debbie Hawblitzel, Mindy Allison and Bob Woodruff serve on the Newberg School Board. They represent their fellow citizens’ views and priorities in the complex enterprise of maintaining and running the community’s public schools, LeBlanc-Esparza said. They also reinforce the principle of local control over public education, which is an important, highly valued aspect of education in Oregon.

The school board’s main goal, is to support student achievement, LeBlanc-Esparza added. To achieve that goal, the board focuses on the following needs:

• Creating a vision for what parents and citizens want their school district to become and how to make student achievement the top priority
• Setting standards for what students must learn and be able to do
• Assessing whether schools achieve their goals, and whether students are learning
• Accounting for the outcomes of decisions and by tracking progress and reporting results
• Aligning the use of the district’s human and financial resources
• Creating a safe and orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach
• Collaborating to solve common problems and to support common successes
• Focusing on continuous improvement by questioning, examining, revising, refining and revisiting issues related to student achievement

“Even though we are making a special effort during January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part. They are dedicated individuals who are committed to improving student achievement and to fighting for the best for all of our students,” LeBlanc-Esparza said.