New board member outlines school board's community-focused role
At a Minnetonka Public Schools meeting on September 12, first-year board member Dan discussed what he sees as the core responsibility of school board members: listening to community needs rather than advancing personal agendas.
Dan, who is in his first year on the Minnetonka school board, shared his perspective on what the job entails during the meeting. He emphasized that while board members have specific duties—attending regular meetings, serving on committees, and voting on decisions—the primary responsibility is to act as a bridge between the community and the school district.
According to Dan, board members are expected to participate in several committees, including the Finance Committee and the Special Education (SPED) Committee. Board members also attend meetings of the Association of Metro School Districts, a regional organization that brings together school leaders from the metropolitan area.
Despite these formal responsibilities, Dan stressed that the real work of a board member is absorbing and understanding what community members need from their schools. He characterized the role as one of listening rather than pushing personal priorities, suggesting that effective board members should prioritize constituent concerns over individual agendas.
The discussion provides insight into how newer board members understand their responsibilities as they settle into their roles overseeing one of the metro area's school districts.
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Dan anything to add as a first year board member well I think it to me the job is kind of just to listen a lot you know I mean yes we do the meetings we meet we usually meet twice a month we have committees that that we attend outside of those meetings so we can stay on top of of Finance or sped or The Association of Metro school districts or or or what have you but really like we're we're in this we're in this sort of position where we occupy this space between the community and the institution of minona public schools and I I really just you know we do have to vote we do have to make decisions but the the job in my opinion isn't to go in there with an opinion or an agenda it's to be a set of ears like listening to the needs of the community
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