Tuesday, October 23, 2007

School boards should get involved, speaker at state conference urges

10-23-2007

HOOVER — School systems are no different than any other form of government in the country.

An expert staff runs the day-to-day affairs, but civilian outsiders set the course.

Debbie Manns, a veteran school-board trainer from Texas, told a group of Alabama school board members Monday that they should embrace their role as policymaker and involve themselves in ensuring that students achieve.

Manns said she's seen too many boards more interested in how teaching takes place than what children actually are learning.

"Administrators can feel threatened or downright annoyed when boards start asking questions," she said.

"But the public is much more demanding in what they expect from their boards — public, corporate or otherwise. I've been telling boards for years, it's your job to ask questions."

Board members from the state's 181 school systems were in Hoover on Monday for a conference of the Alabama Association of School Boards.

See the full story here.

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