Perseverance in a Year Full of Challenges

NEWAYGO COUNTY RESA HONORS SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR ANNUAL RECOGNITION MONTH
Newaygo County RESA is joining 544 local and 57 intermediate school districts across Michigan to celebrate January as School Board Recognition Month. 

“In a year full of challenges for public education not seen in recent history, our school board members persevered through the adversity of 2020 to provide the best possible education for our students,” said Superintendent Lori Tubbergen Clark. “Celebrating School Board Recognition Month is one of the very small ways to express appreciation for all they do.”

School board members represent the views and priorities of their community in the complex system of maintaining and running a district’s public schools, Tubbergen Clark said. They also reinforce the principle of local control over public education, which is an important, highly valued aspect of education in Michigan.

“Too often, the efforts of school board members go unrecognized,” Tubbergen Clark added.

The school board’s main goal is to support student achievement Tubbergen Clark added. 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 by 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.
  

“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,” Tubbergen Clark said. “No matter what challenges lie ahead for our district in 2021, our school board members will continue to govern to improve student achievement and provide exceptional education for all our community’s children.”

The individuals serving Newaygo County RESA are: 

Big Jackson Public School:  Brad Crawford, Laura Johnson, Sue Jones, Charlotte Lockerby, Lynn Ulman

Fremont Public Schools:  Michael Campeau, Carrie Crosley, Matt Hendrie, Kim Rasch, Jennifer Scott, Peter Slovinski, Rick St. Peter 

Grant Public Schools: Damon Arsenault, Neil Geers, Rachal Gort, Kris Lesley, Shawn Moore, Danette Obenauf, Dianne Ring, Rob Schuitema

Hesperia Community Schools: Michelle Allen, Pat Broton, Alan Daniels, Ryan Good, Mark Kraus, Barb Maynard, Scott Rumsey

Newaygo Public Schools: Thomas Frisbie, Vince Grodus, Morgan Heinzman, Jami Schultz, Reid Sherwood, Melissa Swinehart 

White Cloud Public Schools:  Holly Bowman, Megan Cruzan, Keith Derks, Elaine Engel, Jim Jones, Mindy Mench, Harry Stevens

Newaygo County RESA:  Ed Haynor, David Hewitt, Laura Johnson, Karen Kasankiewicz, Sarah Robinson

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