Dell Rapids Public School News

01/22/2008

School Board Election 2008 by Barb Littel (Business Manager)

Two school board positions will be up for election on April 8, 2008.  One 3-year position, with duties to be assumed on July 14, 2008 will be vacant due to the expiration of the present term of Alan Blankenfeld.  An additional 2-year position will be elected due to a 2007 school board vacancy.  Cindy Schuch was appointed to fill this vacancy for the 2007-2008 school year.

Nominating petitions, along with information on how to circulate a petition, are available in the school district business office at 1216 Garfield Avenue.  Petitions may be circulated between January 25 and February 29, and must be filed with the business manager no later than February 29, 2008 at 5 p.m.

The local school board is a uniquely American institution that has made the public school more flexible and responsive to the needs of local communities.  A school board member is entrusted with one of the most important responsibilities that can be assigned to any citizen – helping to plan the education of the youth of this nation.

To qualify for being a school board member, a candidate must be a resident and reside within the school district.  Usually a board member cannot be interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract or claim with the board.  Board members may be paid for their services at a rate established by the school board, up to $75 per day.

Although the legal requirements for board members are few, the qualifications needed for effective service on a board are many:

School Board Member Code of Ethics
Associate School Boards of South Dakota

 

Excerpts from “So You Want To Become a School Board Member, A Guide For Candidates 2007”, by permission of Associated School Boards of South Dakota.