School Board Appreciation Week

The Tennessee School Boards Association has set Jan. 22-28 as School Board Appreciation Week in Tennessee. It is a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our society. Cannon County is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate School Board Appreciation Week to honor local board members for their commitment to Cannon County and its children.  

"It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level," Director Barbara Parker said. "They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect." 

Director Parker said the key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by

•Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;

• Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do;

• Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district's goals are achieved, and students are learning at expected levels;

• Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results;

• Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach;

• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and

• Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement.

"School board members give the Cannon County citizens a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in January, their contribution is a year-round commitment," Parker said.  

The members serving our districts are Chris Blackburn, Shannon Davenport, Randy Gannon, Cathy Hyatt, and Michael Mayfield.

"School Board Week Proclamation" 

WHEREAS, an excellent public education system is vital to the quality of life of our communities and to the economic development of our State; and

 WHEREAS, school board members represent a tremendous resource as local decision makers, diligently working to meet the challenges of a dynamic world while ensuring that every child receives the services needed for a quality education; and

 WHEREAS, school board members recognize the importance of educational reform and accept the responsibilities involved with implementing such initiatives as the Tennessee Diploma Project and the First to the Top Act; and 

WHEREAS, the men and women of our local school boards are elected by the people and deserve recognition and thanks for their countless hours of service to public education in Tennessee; 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mike Gannon, Mayor/County Executive of Cannon County, do hereby proclaim the week of Jan. 22-28, 2012, SCHOOL BOARD APPRECIATION WEEK in Tennessee and encourage all citizens to join me in this worthy observance.