As I approach my 1 year anniversary of being a Hinckley-Big Rock School Board member, I wanted to share with everyone what a fantastic experience this has been. I have been an elementary school teacher for 20 years, also serving as a union representative and a union board member in the district where I work. I am very well versed in the everyday ins and outs of that part of how schools work. Frequently, in those positions, I have to be reactive to situations and decisions made by others. When the opportunity arose to possibly join the School Board of Hinckley-Big Rock I felt drawn to the position because education is an area where I feel I have some expertise. I felt like I could make a very positive impact in our school district by bringing my years of experience to the decision-making table. Not many school boards have members who live the education life every day so the decisions made by those boards are often rooted in a solely financial or personal perspective. We at HBR are so lucky to have a well-rounded school board with many different perspectives, including 2 people who work day-to-day in the education field.
Once I gained my seat on the board we went full speed into choosing a new Superintendent. Let me tell you, that is quite the way to be initiated into a group. But it was also probably the best situation I could ask for because again, I brought the knowledge of what it is like to work in a school system. I could share with my fellow board members the kinds of things that I would want from a district leader that I work for. I also was able to think from a parent’s perspective about who would make the best decisions for my kids and yours. I was able to help make that decision for our teachers, administrators, staff and community. Together we made the best choice and I am so happy to have Dr. Sonntag as our fearless leader.
Since then, it has been school board meetings where I get to hear about great things going on in our district with the Royal Shout Out and the details about how our fantastic administration works so hard every day to make HBR a great place for every single student who goes here. All learners and personalities are taken into account in their decision making and they are always coming up with new ideas for how to make our curriculum and facilities work best for everyone. Sometimes that involves working with what we have and sometimes that involves purchasing something new but every time the students' best interest is at the heart of the decision. Our administrators consider every detail of whom or what might be impacted before bringing their proposals to the school board. We are presented in great detail about each proposal giving all board members everything they need to make a thoughtful decision. I am so proud to be a part of this group and that my kids, and yours, have the opportunity to go to school in District 429. This experience has given me a much broader perspective of how a school district works and an insight into how well ours does. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
By: Abigail Barrett, a member of the Hinckley-Big Rock School Board