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President's Perspective

Expanding your service horizons

Kentucky School Advocate
September 2018

By David Webster
KSBA President

You ran for your local school board for various reasons. The main one, I hope, was for the betterment of the education for all the students in your district. Once elected, you give your time, way more than people ever realize. You get paid an enormous amount of money for your service, plus all the fringe benefits you receive (sarcasm intended). So why would you want to take on anything else?

The answer? To help more students in our public schools across the state.

By “take on anything else,” I’m referring to KSBA. What is KSBA and why would a school board member take a leadership role in the organization? The association offers many services that provide school board members with a wealth of information and training needed to help you succeed in your tenure as a school board member (see chart).

So why would anyone want to join the KSBA team as a director-at-large or regional chairperson?

When I asked myself this question in 2011, I had to go back to why I ran for my local school board: to help provide the best possible education to the students of our district. As a KSBA board member and now as the outgoing president of the association, this reason was scaled up to apply to all students in Kentucky. On a personal level, that encompasses my grandchildren in public schools in Simpson County, Christian County and Somerset Independent.

Other reasons for running for my local school board also carried forward in serving on the KSBA board. Local board service is an opportunity to help preserve and improve the quality of education in our public schools and to build stronger ties between school boards and all stakeholders. Local board members represent different groups in the community and through us, they have a voice in our education system and are a conduit for concerns of teachers, parents and all community members. KSBA board members, in turn, represent all board members in 173 school districts, reflecting the concerns, ideas and issues that they have heard locally. KSBA board members also share what is working in their districts and by doing so, provide a statewide resource.

I have served with many great KSBA board members who have become friends that have helped me grow as a board member and have given me ideas on building a better public education system in Kentucky. My service on the KSBA board showed me how to work more closely with legislators by being an advocate for all Kentucky students.

But I still go back to my No. 1 reason for serving both my local board and the KSBA board: providing quality education for current and future public school students. By being part of KSBA, I believe I have had a little more to do with providing that for children. You as local board members also have that opportunity each time an at-large director seat or regional chairperson seat becomes available. I hope you’ll consider applying to fill those vacancies and become more involved in a great organization, as part of a greater voice for all of our students throughout Kentucky’s public schools.

I promise it will be an enlightening experience that will help you grow as a school board member, with many new experiences, friendships and a greater fulfillment of your desire to serve all students of Kentucky.

“Aspire To Inspire Before You Expire”