There's another opportunity to influence the public educational system in Monroe.
Monroe school board member John Waelti resigned his seat Monday to avoid potential conflicts as he launches his bid to represent the 80th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
That leaves a vacant seat that will need to be filled.
Interested individuals must write a letter of application and go through an interview with the school board, which then votes on applicants. The person receiving the most votes wins the seat.
The school board attempts to appoint a replacement within 60 days. That may or may not happen: Because there is a regular school board election on April 1, the district is checking with the State Elections Board if it should seek to fill Waelti's seat now, or wait until the election is over. As such, the board has not set a deadline for applications.
In the April election, school board members Larry Eakins and Dr. Mary Frantz are seeking re-election. John Mulhall will not seek re-election, and Heidi Zander is the only new candidate who has filed her intention to run with the district. In the school board election, the top three vote-getters will earn seats.
Being on a school board can't be easy. I've covered a number of elected boards and councils through the years, and I would hazard to say being on a school board is probably the toughest gig out there. There's never enough money, and there's always rising costs. And it's young children who will either benefit or suffer by the decisions the school board makes.
That said, it's also one of the most important positions in a community. Let's hope some well-qualified candidates step forward.
• • •
Michael Kuany, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," made me more than a little ashamed of myself.
In town to visit his adoptive family over the holidays, Kuany recounted the struggles he's faced in his life. Civil war sent him, and literally thousands of other young boys, fleeing from his village when he was just 7. These boys faced death by enemy troops and wild animals, starvation and disease as they walked for thousands of miles to safety in first one refuge camp and then another. Yet the thing they sought most, more than food, clean water or even a roof over their heads, was an education. "Education is our mothers and fathers," said these young boys, who had nothing to call their own.
It shamed me to recall my own high school and college experiences, when I went to great lengths to avoid school work. The end goal was a diploma, not necessarily an education. And I know I'm hardly the first one to try to succeed without really trying.
That's not an indictment of educators or even our educational system. Rather, it's yet another symptom of a country of plenty taking for granted such a huge gift - the right to a public education.
• • •
Speaking of taking things for granted, the public library system is another tremendous gift to a community. Where else can you have a world of knowledge at your fingertips for free? Monroe's library will be closed Friday, Jan. 18 for a staff inservice. Plan ahead and get your weekend reading materials Thursday or Saturday.
Monroe school board member John Waelti resigned his seat Monday to avoid potential conflicts as he launches his bid to represent the 80th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
That leaves a vacant seat that will need to be filled.
Interested individuals must write a letter of application and go through an interview with the school board, which then votes on applicants. The person receiving the most votes wins the seat.
The school board attempts to appoint a replacement within 60 days. That may or may not happen: Because there is a regular school board election on April 1, the district is checking with the State Elections Board if it should seek to fill Waelti's seat now, or wait until the election is over. As such, the board has not set a deadline for applications.
In the April election, school board members Larry Eakins and Dr. Mary Frantz are seeking re-election. John Mulhall will not seek re-election, and Heidi Zander is the only new candidate who has filed her intention to run with the district. In the school board election, the top three vote-getters will earn seats.
Being on a school board can't be easy. I've covered a number of elected boards and councils through the years, and I would hazard to say being on a school board is probably the toughest gig out there. There's never enough money, and there's always rising costs. And it's young children who will either benefit or suffer by the decisions the school board makes.
That said, it's also one of the most important positions in a community. Let's hope some well-qualified candidates step forward.
• • •
Michael Kuany, one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," made me more than a little ashamed of myself.
In town to visit his adoptive family over the holidays, Kuany recounted the struggles he's faced in his life. Civil war sent him, and literally thousands of other young boys, fleeing from his village when he was just 7. These boys faced death by enemy troops and wild animals, starvation and disease as they walked for thousands of miles to safety in first one refuge camp and then another. Yet the thing they sought most, more than food, clean water or even a roof over their heads, was an education. "Education is our mothers and fathers," said these young boys, who had nothing to call their own.
It shamed me to recall my own high school and college experiences, when I went to great lengths to avoid school work. The end goal was a diploma, not necessarily an education. And I know I'm hardly the first one to try to succeed without really trying.
That's not an indictment of educators or even our educational system. Rather, it's yet another symptom of a country of plenty taking for granted such a huge gift - the right to a public education.
• • •
Speaking of taking things for granted, the public library system is another tremendous gift to a community. Where else can you have a world of knowledge at your fingertips for free? Monroe's library will be closed Friday, Jan. 18 for a staff inservice. Plan ahead and get your weekend reading materials Thursday or Saturday.