Lion McKim Extoles Virtues of School Board

“How many of you have served on a school board or considered running?” asked East Guernsey Board of Education president, Tim McKim, in speaking to the Cambridge Lions Club.

“I got involved with school issues when our district was in financial difficulty,” McKim said. “They were trying to get support for a levy. There was a lot of misinformation. I started attending meetings.”

(Pictured: left Tim McKim with King Lion Terry Losego)

“One board member was elected in 2005, but resigned shortly after starting her term,” McKim said. School boards are required by law to appoint someone to fill a vacancy no sooner than ten nor later than thirty days after the vacancy occurs.

“The (levy) committee thought that this would be a good opportunity to get someone on the board who had been an active member,” McKim said. “I went around the room and asked six individuals if they were interested in serving on the board. They all said no, so I sent my resume to (board president) Jeff Allen.”

“I had no real idea about what the board did; I didn’t even know where they met,” McKim said. “I got a call that I had been selected to serve, so I went to the meeting. I raised my right hand and swore that I would uphold the Constitution of the state of Ohio and provide for the educational needs of the students. All of a sudden I realized that they took this very seriously.”

I also received a manual about three inches thick that contained the board policies,” McKim said. “The manual is now available on-line at the East Guernsey web site.”

“The role of the school board is often misunderstood by the public. The board sets educational policies and goals. It does not manage day-to-day operations.”

“The board hires a superintendent and a treasurer. The superintendent is responsible for the daily operations, for making recommendations for hiring personnel, and for making sure the board’s policies are being followed.”
“There is a whole procedure for hiring teachers, coaches, and other personnel,” McKim said. “If a person has a complaint about personnel, they need to go through the proper channels. They need to go to the employee’s supervisor first if they have a complaint before it is brought to the school board.”

“We have to follow state laws and contracts with employee unions,” McKim said. “We have to vote with the best interests of the children in mind. You have to be able to ignore the pressures.”

“You sometimes have to make tough decisions. You listen to the impassioned pleas of students and parents. It’s tough to say that a student can’t graduate if they haven’t met all the requirements. But that’s the way life is. Sometimes it’s tough. It’s not fair to the other students who have met all the requirements to bend the rules for a few.”

“It’s also tough to make decisions with people watching you in public meetings. The only time we meet behind closed doors is when we have confidentiality issues or personnel decisions that we are required to make in executive session.”

“It’s easy to make decisions when the members vote five to zero,” McKim said. “It’s tougher when the board is split. I have been on both sides of some three to two votes. Once the board has decided, that’s the policy that we must support.”

“Serving on the school board is sometimes frustrating, but it can also be very rewarding. It’s sometimes scary knowing that every decision you make reflects on the school district. Another thing that is scary is the problem of school funding.”