Ty Ankrom
The ESC Leadership Academy got off to a successful start this month with 18 members of area boards of education attending the first session, Board Member Roles, Responsibilities and Best Practices.
The academy was created as a way to provide professional development opportunities for board members. The Ohio School Board Association is partnering with the ESC to provide the speakers for the academy, which is held at the ESC, 2050 Stoneridge Dr.
Last week’s session provided attendees with information and tips on how board members can be effective leaders and move from being an involved citizen to that of a responsible elected official.
Patty Rothe, with Four J Properties in Circleville and a member of the Circleville City School’s Board of Education, said the session was very helpful in many areas. She especially liked the sense of camaraderie that she felt being among so many others who had similar experiences.
“It was a type of networking where you got to learn from what others have done, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” she said.
Patty started her board term in 2014 and said the information provided in the session was invaluable.
“I wish I’d had some of this knowledge before I was on the board,” she said.
However, she had her own type of leadership academy, growing up as the daughter of longtime school board member Robert Johnson, who served on Circleville’s board from the time she was in elementary school through her senior year of high school.
“I grew up knowing what board service was about and it was really impressed upon us the importance of civic duty,” she said. “I want to help the schools in any way possible. That’s everybody’s foundation.”
The next training session, School Law for Board Members, presented by Sara Clark, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. March 16. Sara said she will speak on the use of social media for board members, board member ethics and administrator contracts.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
