MONTGOMERY – Forty-six school boards from across the state will soon receive the 11th annual Alabama Association of School Boards President’s A ward. The award will be presented at the AASB District Meetings that will be Aug. 30-Sept. 20 in nine geographical regions.
“The AASB President’s Award is presented to boards that have had at least 60 percent of their members attend three or more School Board Member Academy courses in the 2015-16 academy year,” said AASB President Pam Doyle. The academy year ended June 30.
“This award inspires school boards to take seriously their roles as education
AASB President Pam Doyle
leaders, community representatives and advocates of student achievement,” Doyle said. “AASB has always striven to provide school boards meaningful training and educational opportunities to strengthen their leadership and boardsmanship skills. To benefit from that training, boards must exhibit a level of commitment to learning all they can about education issues and effective governance.”
The meetings in all districts will begin with networking at 6 p.m., and dinner is at 6:30 p.m., followed by a 45-minute program. School board members earn 1.5 credit hours in the AASB School Board Member Academy for the session.
School boards in Florence and Muscle Shoals and in Colbert, Lauderdale and Limestone counties will receive their awards at the District 8 meeting Sept. 19 at Florence High School. Karen Duke of Decatur serves as director of District 8, which also includes school boards in Athens, Cullman, Decatur, Haleyville, Hartselle, Russellville, Sheffield and Tuscumbia and in Cullman, Franklin, Lawrence, Morgan and Winston counties. Also School boards in Boaz and Huntsville and in Jackson County will receive their awards at the District 9 meeting Sept. 20 at James Clemens High School in Huntsville. Connie Spears of Madison is the director of District 9, which includes school boards in Albertville, Arab, Guntersville, Oneonta, Scottsboro and Madison and in Blount, Madison, and Marshall counties.
District meetings provide school board members with 1.5 hours of low-cost, educational programming. This fall’s topic, How to Support Positive Student Behavior, will focus on how school boards can develop policies that focus on a structured and supportive discipline system that allows for consistent documentation and action from teachers. The main purpose of any discipline system is to lessen the occurrences and reoccurrences of undesirable behavior, and this session will show how a having the right system in place positively effects not only students, but the school as well. The program will be facilitated by Dr. Mona Hurston, AASB’s assistant director of leadership development and the former director of the Alabama Positive Behavior Support Center. AASB will also survey members about legislative issues on the horizon.
The Alabama Association of School Boards represents all of the state’s public local school boards. Since 1949, AASB has served education leaders and the interests of local decision making in public education. The association’s mission is to develop excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services.
Media Release/ Alabama Association of School Boards/PAIGE SCHULTHEIS
