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The work of a school board isn’t about snap decisions or quick fixes, which are common misconceptions by the public, several Burleson ISD board members noted during a recent meeting.
School board members are elected officials, but few voters grasp what a board actually does, Burleson ISD board members said.
Ronnie Johnson, who has been a member of the Burleson ISD school board for about 18 years, said people often call him assuming he can fix their problems immediately.
“That’s a big misconception — that we can just make a decision right then,” he said. “We receive a lot of blame that’s out of our control.”
Johnson said the board is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the district, but it is involved in the picture.
“We’re the overseers of the district,” he said. “By law, there are actually very few things we do, but what we do is very important.”
Overseeing the district’s funds and making sure they are spent correctly are among the duties of the board, he said. The board also sets the tax rate and sets local policy as long as it is not superseded by state policy.
Another important duty, Johnson said, is to evaluate the superintendent in January and set goals for the year ahead.
“We see what we need to work on, then, a year later, we see what we have accomplished and what we have not,” he said. “We also continuously have a five-year plan.”
Johnson said another important role of the board lies in its ability to purchase land.
“That’s a big thing around here,” said Johnson.
Burleson ISD board member Bob Spurlin, who is in his 12th year on the board, said he also believes the expansion of the district has been an important issue in recent years.
“We’ve been involved in construction to keep up with the rapid growth,” he said.
Spurlin sees the school board as a liaison between the community and the school district, he said.
“We work for the betterment of the school district, so I try not to have a personal agenda,” Spurlin said.
He has also noticed the misconceptions people hold.
“We get requests from people all the time who think we make a quick decision, but it’s a team effort,” said Spurlin, who was an educator for 34 years. “I just wanted to be on the board because I felt like I had something to contribute to the community.”
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