Royal Oak Schools is joining 537 local and 56 intermediate school districts across Michigan to celebrate January as School Board Recognition Month.
"The Royal Oak school board members are volunteers from our community, elected to establish the vision and goals for the district," said Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick. "Our board members are all highly dedicated and take their role very seriously as they represent the voice of the Royal Oak community in matters of public education. We are thankful now, and every month, for the work conducted by our board members."
School board members represent the views and priorities of their community in the complex system of maintaining and running a district's public schools, said Fitzpatrick. "Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one of the very small ways to express appreciation for all they do."
The school board's main goal is to support student achievement. To achieve that goal, the board focuses on the following needs:
Creating a vision for what parents and citizens want their school district to become and how to make student achievement the top priority.
Setting standards for what students must learn and be able to do.
Assessing whether schools achieve their goals and whether students are learning.
Accounting for the outcomes of decisions and tracking progress and reporting results.
Aligning the use of the district's human and financial resources.
Creating a safe and orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach.
Collaborating to solve common problems and to support common successes.
Focusing on continuous improvement by questioning, examining, revising, refining, and revisiting issues related to student achievement.
We will be recognizing our board this month with a gift designed by our students as well as posts on our website and social media.
"Even though we are making a special effort during January to show appreciation for our school board members, we recognize their contributions reflect a year-round effort on their part," Fitzpatrick said. "No matter what challenges lie ahead for our district in 2022, our school board members will continue to govern to improve student achievement and provide an exceptional education for all our community's children."
The individuals serving Royal Oak Schools and their years of service are:
President Deb Anderson, 16 years
Vice President Maryanne VanHaitsma, 5 Years
Secretary Marty Cardamone, 13 Years
Treasurer Allison Sykes, 7 Years
Trustee Erika Alexander, 1 Year
Trustee Tim Ciechorski, 1 Year
Trustee Lisa-Aline Hanes, 1 Year