On Jan. 20, 2022, Van Dyke Public Schools Board of Education President Mark Kedzior had breakfast with students at the Kennedy Early Childhood Center. January is School Board Recognition Month, and districts throughout the city honor their school boards in various ways every year.
By: Maria Allard | Metro | Published January 11, 2023
METRO DETROIT — This month, staff and students from local school districts will honor their local school boards in observance of School Board Recognition Month.
School Board Recognition Month is part of a national effort cosponsored by the Michigan Association of School Boards and the National School Boards Association to build community awareness and understanding about the role school boards play in their communities.
Some board members serve four-year terms while others serve six-year terms. Reading educational materials and school board packets, understanding financial reports, attending school functions, listening to district concerns and making difficult decisions that are sometimes unpopular are among the duties of the school board member.
This month, students and staff will create artwork, make cards, bake cookies and more to show their appreciation to the school board members who govern their districts.
At press time, for instance, plans were set for Center Line Public Schools Superintendent Joseph Haynes to recognize the school board at its Jan. 9 meeting. School principals also were scheduled to attend the meeting with a “thank you” banner students have signed. The Food Service Department, too, will show its appreciation with homemade cookies.
During School Board Recognition Month, a Center Line tradition is for the superintendent to write letters of commendation that are sent to the board members’ employers to let them know about the community service their employees are doing.
Fitzgerald Public Schools officials also planned ways to honor the school board this month. At press time, the board’s next meeting was set for Jan. 9. Arrangements were made for the swearing in of newly-elected board member Ray DeLoatch II while incumbent Anne Covert, who had been reelected in November, was returning to begin a new term.
The year 2023 also began with new placards for the school board members, and the elected officials can show their district pride with new umbrellas featuring the Fitzgerald logo to be presented as gifts. At press time, the Fitzgerald students also were making cards for the school board members.
Van Dyke Public Schools also will celebrate School Board Recognition Month in each building. According to Superintendent Piper Bognar, each school selects one board member to honor and invites that person into the building for an event.
At the Jan. 23 school board meeting, school officials will pass a resolution to honor all seven VDPS school board members.