What's Right In South Lane School District (Jan. 22, 2010)

School Board Members- Volunteers Extraordinaire!

Submitted by Krista Parent

School boards represent the community's beliefs and values. Who better than these community representatives to shoulder the responsibility for preparing children to live productive and satisfying lives? Your school board is the advocate for your community when decisions are made about children's education. The school board represents the public's voice in public education, providing citizen governance for what public schools need and what the community wants.

January is "School Board Appreciation" month in Oregon, and our South Lane School Board is appreciated each and every day for their outstanding volunteer work in the district.

Please salute the work of South Lane School District board members: Chair Judy Cunningham, Vice Chair Tom McVey, Jim Goes, Sherry Duerst-Higgins, Carrie Gilmore, Cheryl Mueller, Joe Raade. Each one of our board members brings special gifts, passions and talents to the boardroom, but they all have one thing in common - Kids Come First!

Meet our Board Members:

Chair Judy Cunningham - was originally on the board in 1994, then worked for the district office in personnel before returning to the school board in 2009. Judy has been a lifelong advocate of public education and both her daughters are teachers.

Vice Chair Tom McVey - has been on the board since the 2005-06 school year. Tom is retired from the postal service and is also active in VFW. Tom is a master bagpiper and shares his talents with the community.

Jim Goes - has been on the board for eight years and is the past board chair. Jim led us during some difficult budget cycles and his leadership during that time was invaluable. Jim has two sons that attend South Lane Schools.

Sherry Duerst-Higgins - likely needs no introduction. Sherry has served on the board for 23 years and has been in the board chair role several different times. Her passion for public education and her commitment to serve kids in South Lane is evident in everything that she does. Sherry's children attended South Lane Schools and now her grandchildren are continuing that trend. Sherry has also been the president of the school board's association for the state of Oregon.

Carrie Gilmore - has served on the board for the past five years and was an active parent club member prior to that time. Carrie is a wonderful advocate for all kids and more specifically for the Arts. Carrie has two sons that attend South Lane Schools. Her thoughtful, calm nature is a tremendous asset to the board.

Cheryl Mueller - began her tenure on the board during the 2003-04 school year. Cheryl also has two children in South Lane Schools and shares her passion for a quality education through her board work. Cheryl has served on various textbook adoption committees during her time on the board.

Joe Raade - is a graduate of South Lane Schools and is a wealth of knowledge in regards to history and events in Cottage Grove. Joe works hard to represent the viewpoints of his constituents and provide the best for South Lane students. Joe has three children that attend South Lane Schools.

If you haven't done so already, please let our school board members know how much we appreciate them.

"What's Right in South Lane School District . . ." is a district communication from the Superintendent's office that highlights great things that are happening throughout the district. If you have ideas to share with the district about the great things that are going on, please send your information in an e-mail to Julie at jdepauw@lane.k12.or.us