New and returning members reflect on role of school board
After a year and a half of COVID-19 pandemic challenges and several months of heated public comment at public meetings, a new group of school board members have been elected and reelected across the county.
While Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the statewide mask mandate would be able to be modified by school districts in January, and decisions on the mandate are ongoing in court, future questions on policy, budgeting, curriculum and the pressure of polarization are yet to be faced by the new and returning board members across Butler County's nine school districts.
For newly elected Nicole Thurner, heading into her first term as a member of the Mars Area School District Board, the role of school board members in the community remains the same as before COVID-19: “To continue to oversee the business and curriculum of the district, to ensure taxpayers' money is being spent prudently, to give the students the best possible, viewpoint-neutral education.”
While the basic role of a board member hasn't changed, Thurner said, there is an added responsibility to bring the community together.
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