Weekly Math Updates

February 14, 2006

I thought I'd forward out this email I received from Chrissy Hannemann concerning what is involved in being a board member. As with any job, it is what you make of it and you can do a good or a bad job on any number of levels. You don't have to be Superman, but at times you may need to do more than Clark Kent (if you catch my drift). I have forwarded her email in its entirety.

Being a board member is obviously a pretty good time commitment, but just so everyone is aware, it is my intent to *not* run for a board position. A host of pressures led me to believe I ought to do this but I had no peace until I had a conversation with a legislator that helped me see I can still do a lot of good without being on the board. Once I had a clearer picture of where I wanted to approach topics from and decided against the decision to run, I finally had some clarity and peace come to me. I hope you'll respect that decision. I appreciate the encouragement I've had from many of you, and don't think I'll be dropping this subject because I won't be running for the board. It was never my intent when I started this to run for the board.

On the subject of finances, for those of you that do decide to run (and we need to know very very soon), there will be financial contributions and help on the campaign from several people that have volunteered to contribute and help on this petition list. I can't promise amounts, but you will get help and support from the community.

Oak

-----Original Message-----

Hi Oak,
I will give you a quick run down on the information regarding running for office.

Please note that because of my family situation (when I was elected my youngest child was only 1 years old and my husband travels for work etc.) I feel like I have been given "light" duty compared to others so this is almost the bare minimum.

Meetings: We regularly meet 2 times each month. These start at 4 pm and we are lucky to be done before 10 pm. We each serve on various committees and the time requirement varies but at least 3-5 extra meetings each month. Cluster Meetings 3 per year. ( meet with administrators and teachers from our area) We meet 1-2 times per month on Tuesdays from 8am-11am on rotation. We discuss potential board agenda items, FYI type stuff, address any concerns from patrons who contact us individually, or any general community input. We have conferences we attend... January -Utah School Board Association, April-National School Board Association, Fall Administrators Conf. These are 2-3 full days each. Other obligations include: Public Input Meetings each Spring, School Dedications/Ribbon cutting events, Concerts and Plays, Luncheons and Dinners, Closing Speaker at Lone Peak Graduation (In the Marriot Center - the highlight of the year!) and variou PR opportunities.

On our own time we read/respond to email from patrons and others. We read documents to prepare for our meetings, prepare presentations, etc.

On average it requires about 10 hours per week, with peak weeks about 20 hours and slow weeks more like 2-3 hours.

And for the pay... remember most people who support education are not in this for the money... $3,000 per year or $250 per month!

A term is 4 years long.

What does it cost to run for office?

There is an initial fee which was $25 in 2002 but I have been told by the Utah County Elections office it will be raised this year.

I spent about $750 on my campaign. I had to run in a primary so this increased my cost quite a bit. This can vary depending on how you campaign. (signs or flyers or phone trees or email lists)

Finally, some advise from the Board Member I replaced and have learned how wise she was..... The most important attribute a good Board member has is that they are looking out for the best interests of every student in the district. A good board member is not running on a single issue campaign or trying to represent a special interest group or "local" area. So if you do run or are recruiting others keep this in mind. It would be very frustrating if you ran just to change the math and then had to sit through literally hundrends of discussion hours reviewing bonds, boundaries, budgets, personnel, bussing, or enrollment. If you are serious, it would be good to start attending study sessions prior to our board meetings and stay for the whole meeting so you get a glimpse of your responsibilities.

I was forwarded your email talking about 4 out of 7 of us up for re-election and looking for volunteers. All of the above information would apply to anyone considering running. If you have others thinking about it, you have my permission to forward this information as long as you include the advice!

Chrissy

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