EPLC AND CPE TO HOST FORUMS FOR POTENTIAL SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES

NEWS RELEASE - December 18, 2002
For additional information, contact Sharon Brumbaugh at (717) 260-9900.

(Harrisburg) -- The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC) and the Council for Public Education (CPE) will present a two-part seminar for potential school board candidates on January 23, and January 30, 2003, from 5 :30 to 10:00 p.m. each evening. The sessions will be held in the Board Room at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, 55 Miller Street, Summerdale. The registration fee is $30 for the entire seminar and a light buffet dinner is included each evening.

The January 23 session will focus on the legal and leadership roles of local school boards. According to Sharon Brumbaugh, Manager of Leadership Programs for The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC), it is designed to help potential board members understand the authority and responsibility that has been delegated to local school boards by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. "Too often, well-meaning, civic-minded individuals run for local school boards without a clear understanding of the complexities of board governance," says Brumbaugh. "We want to help them get a head start on the learning curve before they put their names on the ballot."

Brumbaugh will lead the discussion at the first session along with Patricia Garcia, President of the Council for Public Education (CPE) and a current member of the Susquehanna Township School District Board of Education.

"School board service is both challenging and rewarding, and it requires a commitment to learning and to teamwork," says Garcia. She adds, "An individual board member has absolutely no authority, but he/she can make a contribution to the education system by learning how to become an effective member of the board/superintendent team - another topic of discussion at the seminar."

Ron Cowell, President of EPLC, will lead a policy discussion at the January 30 session. It will highlight some of the current federal and state education policy issues and how they impact local school districts. Topics include the federal legislation known as the "No Child Left Behind Act," standards, assessment and accountability issues, school finance, and others. "School boards are accountable for establishing local district policy and for monitoring student performance," says Cowell. He adds, "That is an important responsibility, and potential candidates need to understand state and federal education policy and what their role is in helping to implement and influence it."

The last hour of the seminar on January 30 will be used to outline the process of running for election - the election calendar, circulating petitions, Pennsylvania Ethics Law, the election code, and sources of "how to" campaign information.

Current school board members, as well as potential candidates, are encouraged to attend this seminar. For more information, or to register, contact the Council for Public Education at 717-231-4553 or The Education Policy and Leadership Center at 717-260-9900, or visit the EPLC web site at www.eplc.org to download a registration form.