Inflation and staffing shortages are challenging for nearly all school boards and school districts today. However, those factors, combined with post-pandemic declining enrollment and an aging population, have hit small and rural districts hard.
Thomas Dee, a Stanford University education professor and researcher who has studied enrollment trends, told Contributing Editor Glenn Cook that this combination of factors “presents some particular challenges for small schools because you need some scale to provide and fund multitiered systems of support and instructional specialists who can help with student needs.”
Our cover story for this issue, “Shifting Demographics,” looks at how rural districts are working to solve these issues. For more resources on rural schools, check out our series, “Educational Equity for Rural Students: Out of the Pandemic, but Still Out of the Loop.” NSBA’s Center for Public Education examines the growing diversity of rural students, and the urgent need to fix the digital divide and support rural student well-being. The series explores five topics about unequal learning opportunities and the achievement gap that affect these students. Four of the five parts are available online at tinyurl.com/3pry4my9.
We also are running a pair of stories in this issue to help with board development. In “Oath of Office,” author Rick Maloney suggests that the swearing-in of new board members is an opportunity for the whole board to renew its commitment to the goals and mission of the school district. Michael Panza writes in “The True ABCs of School Board Service” that “board members have very specific duties: maintain a qualified staff (hire and fire personnel), be certain revenues are generated and used appropriately (budget), and set policy that includes the approval of a well-defined curriculum.”
I want to note NSBA Executive Director and CEO Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs’ introductory column in this issue. With an impressive background in public education and leadership, she is the first former school board member to take the helm of our 83-year-old association.
Also, in this issue, we feature a preview of the upcoming CUBE (Council of Urban Boards of Education) Annual Conference, Sept. 14 to 16, in Chicago. For more information, check out the link below for our CUBE event webpage and featured video.
Until next time . . .
Here's what to look forward to at our 2023 CUBE Annual Conference: https://nsba.org/Events/CUBE-2023-Annual-Conference
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