Dear Editor:

The month of January marks Alabama&8217;s 15th annual School Board Recognition Month.

Alabama&8217;s theme, &8220;Making a World of Difference,&8221; reaffirms a common goal &045; preparing today&8217;s students and tomorrow&8217;s leaders for productive citizenship.

School board members play a crucial role in the decision-making process in a representative democracy.

Schoolchildren benefit every day from the dedication and commitment to public education of school board members.

Each spends countless hours attending conferences to broaden their knowledge about education.

Ultimately, school board members&8217; decisions affect students &045; the curriculum they learn, the personnel who will teach them, and the kinds of facilities that house classrooms.

Improving student achievement is a top priority with most of the nation&8217;s school boards.

According to the National School Boards Association, &8220;School boards can support student achievement by focusing on: vision, standards, assessment, accountability, alignment, climate, collaborative relationships, and continuous improvement.

Through their actions in these eight areas, school boards can continually put student achievement at the center of what they do and can engage educators as well as community members as they do it.&8221;

Observation has shown that being a school board member is not an easy task, particularly in cities or towns where controversy abounds.

Nonetheless, these individuals think rationally to resolve issues.

The Selma City Board of Education is one of 132 school boards across the state of Alabama.

We salute and say &8220;thanks for caring about our children&8217;s education&8221; to Mr. Benjamin Givan, Dr. Kirit D. Chapatwala, Mrs. Debra Reeves-Howard, Dr. Anne Fitts, Rev. Coley Chestnut, Mr. James E. Terry, Junior, Mr. John Williams, and Mrs. Barbara Stapp-Hiouas.

Serving on a school board is a huge responsibility, and one that should not be taken lightly.

Gerald Shirley

Principal

School of Discovery