School Board Seeking Candidates to Fill School Board Vacancy

Manchester School Board President, Marlene Wagner, submitted a letter of resignation after the closed session at the end of the school board meeting last Monday, September 21, 2015. Wagner, a parent of three MCS graduates, has served on the Board of Education for 15 years. Superintendent Cherie Vannatter stated that the board “accepted her resignation with regret” and that “her hard work and dedication will be greatly missed.”

School Board Vice President Chris Fegan, who is the parent of a current student and a recent graduate, is now the new School Board President. Fegan has served on the school board for 8 years. In addition, she serves as the board liaison to the Manchester Community Resource Center and the Southwest Washtenaw Council of Governments. In the past, she has been active in Klager’s PTO, the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and the DDA.

While Wagner’s presidency has been filled, her position as a School Board Trustee is now open. The School Board is actively seeking letters of interest from qualified district residents interested in becoming a Manchester School Board Trustee. To apply, read the summary of the role of the school board below, include your reasons for wanting to be on the Board, and mail or drop off (between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm) your letter at the district office by THIS Friday, October 2, 2015. Final selection will be made by the whole board in an open meeting.
Letters of interest should be addressed to:

Sheryl Purol, Secretary
Board of Education
Manchester Community Schools
410 City Road
Manchester, Michigan 48158

THE ROLE OF SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE

submitted by Superintendent Cherie Vannatter

School boards establish a vision for the community’s schools. They have to set up and maintain an effective, efficient organizational structure for the district that lets the superintendent and administrators manage the schools, while teachers teach and students learn.

They are responsible for hiring and evaluating a superintendent, evaluating and adopting policies that affect all schools in the district, serving as a judicial and appeals body when conflicts go unresolved, monitoring and adjusting district finances, and managing the collective bargaining process in the district.

A school board has a symbolic role as well. The behavior it shows in the meeting room, the rapport among school board members, and the relationships that members have with teachers and administrators in the district all add up to the climate of public education in a community. Whether healthy or dysfunctional, a school board has a heavy influence on the spirit that characterizes a community’s impression of its school system.

We are looking for the following qualities:

• The ability to work well with a team and support group decisions, along with an understanding that the board sets a climate for the entire district
• A desire to work toward a stronger relationship between the district and the public it serves
• A keen eye toward serving the needs of all students, regardless of their abilities and backgrounds
• A professional, poised demeanor and respectful, respectable behavior
• Respect for diverse points of view
• Commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops
• Knowledge about district policies, guidelines, needs, challenges, and strengths

At the heart of it all, members of a district’s board of education must believe, unequivocally, in the value of public education. They must be dedicated to serving and teaching all children. They must believe in the democratic process and understand that their role is to act strategically, in line with the interests of the entire school community.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.