The district Board of Education held a meeting on October 12. Often not fully understood, the meetings of the board entail more than known by the general public. 

The Board consists of President Barb Hooper, Vice-president Nick Bolhuis, Secretary Dawn Sneden, Treasurer Greg Chanski, Assistant Andrew DeWitt, Trustees Ken Hall and Mark Davis. Along with the Board, Superintendent VanderJagt is present along with them to make the key decisions. A student representative from the school attends to give updates on our school and the thoughts of the student body. The Board conducts meetings every month, making decisions about finance, the approval of new staff members, book issues, and taking action on challenges made by the public. Courses for every grade level are also approved through the Board, for every grade level. In order to be on the board, there are no specific qualifications, but one must be elected to the board by the public, much like a politician. 

The meetings that occur monthly are conducted and run in a similar manner. A week or two before the actual meeting, they hold work sessions where they discuss in-depth issues ahead of time and what will be talked about at the meeting. These work sessions tend to take longer, as they plan everything and filter out the information unneeded in the actual meeting. They do these work sessions to make the meeting more efficient. 

In every Board meeting, the general public is welcome to attend, and the public is also allowed to request recognition at the meeting in front of the board. Called the ‘recognition of those present’ on the agenda, one has three minutes to complete their presentation. They can speak about a range of topics, such as challenging a book (which takes a different process, but one can still bring it up in their hearing), challenging the status of a Board member or a staff member, or giving feedback on a change the Board made. 

Along with the Board members and the superintendent, staff members and principals from across the district come to the meetings to give updates on their buildings. Many buildings in the district are undergoing construction, so that is a topic brought up in almost every building update.