SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES FROM EDDINGTON NEEDED

Two Eddington candidates are needed to run for the AOS (Alternative Organized System) School Board. Eddington has three positions on the Board, each of which holds a three-year term. Currently, one position is vacant. A second position is up for re-election. Elections are conduction in March.

Last March, Karen Clark was re-reelected to a three-year term. However, Karen and her family moved to Holden this past September or October. She did not officially notify the Town Office of this or change her official residence status until November 2, Election Day. Because she no longer resides in Eddington, she is not eligible to serve as an Eddington School Board member. Someone is needed to run for the two-year remainder of her term.

Pam Dorr's term of office expires in March. She has held the position for three years. This writer has been told Pam may not run for re-election. I do know she has missed meetings and experienced poor health during her term.

The only other Eddington School Board position is currently being held by Therese Anderson. Therese was re-elected two years ago. She is the Chairperson of the Board and is doing a fine job. But she can not represent Eddington alone.

Interested candidates need to go to the Eddington Town Office to pick up Filing Papers soon. Anyone interested in running will need to gather signatures of approximately 25 registered Eddington voters who support that candidate for the position. The Filing Papers need to be turned in to the Town Office by a specific date - some time in February, I believe.

Voting takes place shortly before the Eddington Town Meeting and the results are announced at the Town Meeting.

Things to know and consider:

Candidates need to be Eddington residents.

They do NOT need to be parents of children currently enrolled in any of the three schools within the school AOS.

Each school board member is required to attend the monthly school board meeting which is usually the fourth Monday of the month from 7pm to whenever business is concluded. Meeting sites rotate between the three schools (Eddington, Holbrook, & Holden).

School board members are required to participate on a certain number of standing committees. I believe three committees is the norm.

School Board members are required to attend the May Public Hearing to review the Proposed Budget for the coming year and to Listen to the Public's concerns and questions regarding that budget. Following that Public Hearing, the Board may make revisions to the Proposed Budget which is then voted on at another Public Meeting which School Board member are required to attend.

(It is also beneficial for School Board members to attend, if not actually participate on, the Budget and Financial Committee Meetings that take place prior to that Public Meeting. Those meetings usually begin in March. It can be expected the next three years will be challenging financial years for the School Board, teachers, AOS staff and taxpayers.) This makes it all the more important for people who are concerned about the quality of our schools' education AND costs, as well as AOS budgeting and financial management to be on the School Board.

Being on the School Board is not a light-weight responsibility. It is not for someone who is unwilling to consider new ideas or able to face hard financial realities. It is not for someone who is unwilling to face the fact that a disproportionate amount of the school budget will be bourne by senior citizen residents who are trying to live on not only fixed incomes - but incomes that are decreasing each year since social security has seen no cost of living increase in two years. And there will not be a COLA in 2011 either.

At the same time, we need School Board members who believe that having our students test at the State's Average is not good enough - not if this state is going to get out of the economic hole it is in. Academic Excellence is what we should be striving to provide for every student who is willing to work for it.

Are you someone who is willing to step forward to serve? If so, contact the Town Office Staff and ask for a School Board Candidate Filing Form. Consider it another way to serve your community and your country.