In honor of our school board’s commitment to our students, schools and communities, January is once again designated School Director Recognition Month.
Public education is more than just learning the basic math, science, English and history; it’s a platform for students to reach their potential. It inspires hope for a new generation and a successful future. This institution exists in part because individuals volunteer their time to make informed decisions about the issues facing public schools. Every January, we take time to celebrate and recognize these everyday heroes – the nine elected school board members – for the challenging and vital work they do on behalf of our students, family and community. These dedicated volunteers reside in our community. They are our neighbors, friends, community leaders, parents at your school and engaged senior citizens.
Our school directors devote 20+ hours a month to the challenging and complex responsibilities of board business. They vote on multi-million dollar budgets and are charged with policymaking, planning, goal setting and the care of facilities, labor relations, taxation and responsible funding. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has added an additional challenge to the school boards, as they determine how best to provide for the needs of students and their families in this new environment.
During this month of recognition, please take a moment and show your gratitude for school directors’ time, dedication and effort year-round. The job they do is necessary to ensure our schools remain a pathway to a promising future. Thank them for advocating on behalf of our collective interest, and most importantly, for making the success of our children their priority.
Bensalem’s school directors oversee a $159.5 million dollar budget providing a quality education for the more than 6,300 students in nine schools staffed by 500 teachers, 59 administrative employees, and 467 full- and part-time support personnel. They advocate an education system that is prepared to meet the extraordinary needs of more highly skilled jobs and new career opportunities. They set high standards of performance and accountability, offer new choices and options for parents and students, offer flexibility in regulation and service delivery, and work to ensure adequate funding and broad community engagement.
The locally elected volunteer public servants who contribute to keeping the public school system strong and effective in Bensalem Township are: Kim J. Rivera, president; Eric Price, vice president; Michelle Benitez; Marc Cohen; Stephanie A. G. Ferrandez, Esq.; Rachel Fingles, Esq.; Heather D. Nicholas; Heather Snyder; and Vanessa Woods.
