The Minnesota School Boards Association has set February 17-21 as School Board Recognition Week in Minnesota to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our society. Moorhead Area Public Schools is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate School Board Recognition Week to honor local board members for their commitment to Moorhead 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,” said Superintendent Brandon Lunak,. “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.”

Lunak said the key 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 the Moorhead 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 the district are Cassidy Bjorklund, Melissa Burgard, Kara Gloe, Scott Steffes, Rachel Stone, Matt Valan and Keith Vogt.