They are responsible for everything from the rules we have to the way the school runs. The school board includes our community’s input of what students should know and be able to do.

“I joined the school board because I care about education and giving everyone the same opportunity to learn,” said Kristi Pellett, one of the five members on the Atlantic school board. “Everyone from the community (of Atlantic) comes to the school from all different home environments. Going to school is our opportunity to be like everybody else no matter what their home life is. When they graduate, they’ll have the same opportunities as everyone else. Being on the school board gives you that opportunity to give back to community and improve our youth.” 

Meeting every second and fourth Wednesday, the Board of Education meets to talk about new projects and ideas to improve on throughout the school district. The members on the board are elected every four years. The members can serve as many times as they want, as the state law does not limit the amount of times they can be elected.

The school board does several different things for the school and community that many students didn’t know. Many students that were interviewed claimed they didn’t know what the school board does other than making some of the decisions for our school. One of the main things students thought the school board did was hire and fire new coaches.

That theory is false according to Pellett, who has been on the school board since 2007 and has recently been re-elected for another four year term. Another thing many students weren’t necessarily sure about is the number of members on the Board of Education. Four students were almost positive that there were twelve members on the board when, as Pellett said, there are only five on the Atlantic Board of Education.

Being on the school board isn’t the easiest thing to be involved with. “You have to be willing to learn, along with being open minded, and have a passion for education. Being on the board can be time consuming. It takes a couple hours to prep for each board meeting, plus you can attend the professional development programs and attend meetings to be better yourself as a school board member,” she said.

“You attend two meetings a month for a couple hours (as well). We do quite a few things for the school like school funding, legislators, and it’s just a way for us to have a voice as local members on the things that goes on around the school,” Pellett said as she explained the school board process.

After informing them with the correct information about the school board, the students were shocked. They learned more about their school board and how much it does for students, teachers, and the community.