School Board recognized for commitment to community and children

The Minnesota School Boards Association has set February 20-24 as Minnesota School Board Recognition Week in Minnesota as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our society. Springfield School District 085 joins all public school districts across the state in celebrating School Board Recognition Week to honor local board members for their commitment to Springfield and its children.

“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” Superintendent Keith Kottke said. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect.”

Supt. Kottke said the work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:

•Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;

•Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do.

•Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;

•Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results;

•Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach.

•Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and

•Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement.

“School board members give Springfield citizens a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in February, their contribution is a year-round commitment.”

The members serving our district are Charles Tews, chairman; Jeffrey Kretsch, clerk; Megan Quesenberry, treasurer; Mandy Rasset, Justin Roiger, Eric Schwarz-rock and Mike Vogel.