February 2010

Governor Sean Parnell has issued a proclamation naming February as School Board Recognition Month! The six-member Unalaska City School District Board of Education is among the 300 school board members from throughout Alaska who are being recognized by the Governor for their dedicated service to Alaska's children.

Great local schools start with strong local governance. Unalaska's all-volunteer school board was recognized in 2006 as the Alaska School Board of the Year. Members of UCSD's current Board of Education are: President Tammy Fowler-Pound, Clerk/Treasurer Tonya Miller, Sonia Handforth-Kome, Melanie Magnusen, Dan Masoni, and Student Representative Chelsea Karvia. Tammy Fowler-Pound is also serving a one-year term as the President of the Alaska Association of School Boards.

Please join Governor Parnell in recognizing school board members from around the state, and especially our own UCSD Board of Education!

School Board Recognition Month - Proclamation

WHEREAS, there are over 300 school board members throughout the state of Alaska. Each contributing a significant amount of time and energy investing in our children's future; and

WHEREAS, Alaska's Constitution directs the Legislature to "establish and maintain a system of public schools open to all children of the state." The Legislature has since vested the governance of Alaska's public school system into school boards, made up of locally elected citizens; and

WHEREAS, school board members are a vital component to a child's success in school. The programs, funding, and opportunities they consider affect the curriculum and activities available to our students; and

WHEREAS, local school board members work with parents, education professionals, and other members of the community to meet the needs of the school district, foster healthy learning environments, and create an educational vision for our schools; and

WHEREAS, school board members act as advocates for public education and serve as a bridge between the school district and the public; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sean Parnell, Governor of the State of Alaska, do hereby proclaim February 2010 as:

School Board Recognition Month

in Alaska, and encourage all citizens to recognize the hard work, dedication, and selflessness of the members of our local school boards, and to thank them for their work to protect Alaska's most important asset - our children.

Dated: January 28, 2010

Email:  jconwell@ucsd.net