Help celebrate School Board Appreciation Week – January 20-26, 2019

January 21, 2019

January 20-26, 2019 is School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee and in Smith County.

This week helps build awareness and understanding of the vital functions our locally elected boards of education play in our community.

The Smith County School System is joining public school districts from across the state to celebrate School Board Appreciation Week and honor local board members for their commitment to Smith County and its children.

“Our school system is the backbone of our community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child,” Director of Schools Barry H. Smith said. “There is no greater honor that can be bestowed upon a citizen than membership on a local board of education. They spend countless hours studying the issues and regulations and make the tough decisions when called upon to ensure the type of accountability people expect.”

Director Smith said the key work of school boards is to:

Create a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;
Establish standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do;
Ensure progress is measured to be sure the district’s goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;
Create a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach;
Form partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and
Focus attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement.

Our local school board shapes the future of education in Smith County by influencing the high quality of education that our children and youth receive. The Smith County School Board shows its commitment to educational excellence and equity—and for that we are very grateful for their attitude of service.

The members currently serving on the Smith County Board of Education are pictured below:

Back Row (L to R): Ricky Shoulders, Tommy Manning, Director of Schools Barry Smith, Joe Taylor, Marty McCaleb. Front Row (L to R): David Apple, Brian Smith, Robin Moore, Scotty Lewis.

You can learn more about the school board members here.

Please join Smith County Insider in celebrating School Board Appreciation Week, and take the time to thank our Smith County school board members for their service and dedication to our community and our children!