The following is written on behalf of superintendents Karen Weimer, Dan Applegate and Tim Donahue.

In honor of School Board Recognition Month, celebrated every January, we are pleased to offer well-deserved recognition to our local school board members.

Members of the Brandywine, Buchanan and Niles Boards of Education volunteer countless hours of their time to focus on improving student outcomes in our districts. They make tough decisions every day with the best interests of the next generation and our communities at heart.

We are privileged to be served by strong leaders on each of our respective school boards, who work to enact policies that best serve the entire community. Altogether, our three school boards act as stewards of more than $50 million in annual budgets, more than 5,000 students in all three districts, more than 600 employees and 22 buildings:

Buchanan

Harvey Burnett

Sandy Tobler

Jim DeVlaminck

Ruth Writer

Dennis Wentworth

Kelly Laesch

Chris Lee

Niles

Greg O’Toole

Dana Daniels

Leigh Jones

Kathy Zeider

Brent Wright

Mark Weber

Mark Wortham

Brandywine

Jerry Tibbs

Janis Exner

Holly Pomranka

Ralph Skinner

Jason Spitler

Dennis Hinsey

Brian Burge

In Michigan, school board members oversee the decisions that affect 1.7 million Michigan children and $13 billion in educational expenditures.

It’s a large undertaking. One these civil servants willingly take on for the better of the communities they live, work and play in. They work to build and preserve a service so essential to the American dream: public education.

We hope you will join us in recognizing and honoring our local school board members, this and every month.

Dan Applegate

Superintendent, Niles Schools