Is school board for you?

I recently retired from the Upper Adams School Board. It was not uncommon for folks to ask why I might want to do so much work for no pay. Let me tell you a little about me. Although I have lived in Adams County since 1964, I spent my diversified career in many different cities, most recently working for several non-profits in Washington D.C. After fifteen years on Capitol Hill, I decided to give up my Dupont Circle condo and return home for good. I had kept my permanent residence in Adams County and have lived for the last 30 years in Arendtsville. I was glad to be back living in one place, but I was not ready for a lazy retirement. While looking for a way to serve my community, I learned there was a vacancy on the Upper Adams school board and decided to toss my hat into the ring to serve as a board member if I was chosen.

When they asked me to join the board in 2004, I eagerly accepted, never dreaming that I would continue that service for 16 years! I had always supported public education and had realized when I taught English in college that our K-12 public schools played a huge role in preparing every student for college and also for life. I wanted to see what I could contribute to that process. When I was asked by the Upper Adams Board President what committee I would choose to spend time on, I selected Curriculum and remained particularly interested in how our schools taught writing and speech in all their classrooms. I also volunteered for the Policy Committee, and never regretted it. Under the competent leadership of Ron Ebbert, our small committee systematically reviewed every aspect of our school district policies and academic issues, and had rigorous debates on topics like drug use, dress codes, bullying, and student suspensions.

Being an Upper Adams School District board member became a big part of my identity and I eventually made my own new business cards with “Upper Adams School Board President” to identify who I was. Serving on a school board does take a real time commitment, both to attend meetings and to study the agendas that are so carefully prepared by the superintendent and his staff. I never regretted the time I spent, partially because I felt I was making a real contribution to the future of the students and the community. Another benefit was getting to know those who invest their whole lives to ensure superior education for all of our students. The board has the ultimate responsibility to choose those leaders, and also to carefully assess that we are doing the very best we can to carry out our Vision Statement, “All students college and career ready.”

We always had a full board of diligent, congenial and intelligent members who were great to work with. And during my long tenure we were very fortunate to have selected two very competent Superintendents, Dr. Eric Eshbach and Dr. Wesley Doll. As a board member you get to see what it takes to run a school district, abide by the enormous school code, and meet the huge budget challenges in our PA district. Did you know that Pennsylvania ranks 44th --near the bottom in the nation--in the share of school funding our state legislature devotes to our public schools? Combine that problem with the taxpayers’ resentment that we must rely on property taxes to balance our budgets every year. This is extremely challenging even when you eliminate all the frills without cutting extra-curricular activities that are not essential, like all our diversified school sports and the outstanding band program. When Tom Wilson took over as President of the Board, I was happy to step aside and let him lead us in meeting the budget challenges every year.

For me, the best l thing about serving on the school board was that I felt I was able to make a contribution to every meeting, just by paying attention and caring about the issue. I could share my opinions and values without having to be an expert on the topic at hand. Thoughtful, caring community members are much needed in every school district. If you can make the time for it, consider running for school board where you live. February 16 is the first date to pick up your petitions for the 2021 primary ballot. You will have until March 9 to gather 10 signatures and turn them in to the Adams County Courthouse. You won’t regret it.

Elaine Jones still lives in Arendtsville and has been on the Gettysburg Democracy for America Education Task Force since its founding.