January is School Director Recognition Month

January is “School Director Recognition Month” in Pennsylvania. It is an opportunity to express our gratitude to our valuable citizen volunteers for their time and dedication to our public schools.

The Mifflin County School District is one of 501 public school districts in Pennsylvania. Each public school board has nine elected directors who volunteer their time, without pay, to ensure that the students in their district receive a quality education.

We would like to acknowledge the current and out-going school directors for the 2007-2008 school year for their achievements and dedicated service to ensure that students in the Mifflin County School District receive a quality education to prepare them to meet life's challenges.

Members for the 2007-08 school year are:

• Dr. Ruth D. Armstrong
• Robert F. Bratton
• Barbara A. Frankhouser *
• Jeffrey H. Ingram *
• Walter L. Harpster
• David W. Molek, Esq.
• Phillip C. Nash
• Travis R. Parkes
• Kirk M. Rager
• Beth D. Reifsnyder
• John A. Traxler

*  indicates term recently expired

The following information is from the www.psba.org/pride-and-promise information project.
 

• School director elections are held every two years, on a 5-4 rotation to ensure continuity.

• All board members are elected to four-year terms.

• School directors are elected locally; however, the state constitution delegates to them the responsibility to administer the school system as agents of the General Assembly.

• All serve as volunteers, without pay.

• The "typical" Pennsylvania school director is male, well-educated, married with two or three children attending public schools, and voluntarily devotes 16-20 hours per month to school board business.

• 14% of those serving on school boards in 2007 are retirees.

• 8% of school directors are homemakers, 10% are self-employed or business owners and 7% are office supervisors.

• More than 72% of Pennsylvania school directors have attained a college degree or beyond, an increase from 68% in 1998.

• 2.1% of Pennsylvania board members have more than 10 years' experience in 2007.

• 55% of all districts involve students at their local board meetings. Of those districts, 95% rate their involvement with students at meetings as satisfactory or highly satisfactory.

• In 2006, 93% of districts had cooperative projects with local business and community organizations. 63% used citizen advisory committees.

• Pennsylvania school directors continue to keep adequate school funding at the top of the list of the most important educational concern facing public schools.