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A MESSAGE FROM NASB'S PRESIDENT

On December 13, 2007, my world darkened a bit. That was the day my father died. He had an engaging mind and enjoyed thinking aloud about things, particularly philosophical and social issues.

He was always interested in information and ideas. It helped that he had a photographic memory and could recall specifics years after he first read or heard them. I recall that one year he made the Civil War his study. He read enough books to cover the wall of the TV room. His memory about each battle was amazing; he could always remember the time of day that each battle occurred, its precise geographic location, and the number of casualties.

When I was a child, he was my hero because he could always answer my questions and could connect information that seemed sometimes a little disjointed from my ten-year-old perspective.

All of this leads me to the opportunity that NASB and Nevada school board members will have over the next few months to learn as much as we can from our soon-to-be departing school board members, many of whom have served three full terms or twelve years, representing the children in their communities.

On July 31, during the joint meeting of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, we took time for a panel discussion facilitated by Chris Miller [President Elect, Storey] featuring four of our longest serving board members: Sheila Moulton [Clark], Reuben Palmer [Mineral], Norm Scoggin [Carson City], and Murry Whipple [Lincoln]. Together, these board members have served 70 years on their local boards. Pretty amazing! Ms. Miller called this discussion, “Words from the Wise,” and I certainly agree that we heard much wisdom and sound counsel from this group.

I want to summarize for you their responses to the final question discussed, “What are your very best words of wisdom for us?” Here’s what they said.

Mr. Scoggin:

First of all, know your job. Listen. We weren’t elected to brilliance, and we don’t have all of the answers. Establish good rapport with the rest of the board. You alone are one person; if you want to get anything done, you have to work with the entire board. Those campaign promises mean nothing if you can’t persuade a majority of the board to act on your proposals. Kids come first before adults.

Mr. Palmer:

After reading the August NASB News Update, it was almost like Mr. Lemaire was looking over my shoulder. These things are, in my opinion, of critical importance:

  • Forget about the word “power.”
  • You don’t direct any personnel to make decisions.
  • You should do all you can to be informed, knowledgeable, and prepared.
  • Be totally honest.
  • Be self-less. It’s not about you. Remember you are representing the best interests of the children in your community.
  • Stay focused.
  • Get the most you can for students for the bucks available.
  • We should encourage all to do their best. Boards should lead the way on this.
  • Once a vote is taken, you are obligated to support that decision no matter what your personal preference was.
  • We are public servants.

Ms. Moulton:

Amen to everything that Mr. Palmer included on his list. To those things, I would add listen twice as much as you speak. Build on your own strengths. Recognize the success and contributions of others. Learn to ask delving questions that will help you get deeper into data or information. Hold everyone accountable. Students and their achievements are first and foremost.

Mr. Whipple:

When I go to the Legislature, the legislators I get to talk with are the ones that are in my party. In this room, do you know whether Directors are Democrat or Republican? You probably don’t. Our biggest issue is the education of kids. Every kid in this state has the right to an education; our job is to do that. Our basic agenda is non-partisan; in taking care of kids and their education, we cross party lines. If you can always remember what your purpose is and keep that in mind foremost, then that is your board work. We all mess up. One of the steps in the key work is evaluation. After every board meeting, I have a chance to think about what really happened during the meeting, what could I have done better or differently, doing a board member self-evaluation as I am driving home. That is very important. That’s where the wisdom comes. We all have wisdom, if we learn from our experiences.

Wow! If we took everything they shared in these few sentences and incorporated it into our work as school board members, we would make a much greater impact on student learning and achievement in all of our seventeen school districts. I encourage each one of us to learn from our most experienced school trustees as much as we can in the few months that they will remain serving on our boards.

NASB President
775/841-3687
NASB Headquarters
549 Court Street
Post Office Box 14855
Reno, NV 89507-4855
Telephone (775) 657- 8411
or (775) 443-5988
Fax (775) 453-1017
or (775) 324-5579