Why School Boards Matter - A Letter From USBA's New President, Peggy Jo Kennett

In August of 2012, Mark Marsh and I attended President's Training in Kentucky. This training was given by NSBA. On the plane ride back to Utah, Mark's wife Julie and I were at the back of the plane stretching our legs. Another passenger asked Julie about why were in Kentucky. This man had many bad things to say about School Board Members (they were useless and worthless and just there for the punch and cookies). There was no way that we were going to change his mind. This incident really made me think about why School Boards matter.

Our Superintendents, Business Administrators, and Administrators do a wonderful job of running our School Districts, and they don't need School Board Members to help them do their job. (In fact, more than once I'm sure that they have thought their job might be easier without us around. :)

However, School Board Members put the "public" in public education! We reflect our community's values and beliefs that need to be considered as important decisions like budgets and priorities are made. We are elected by local voters and are directly accountable to them for how their tax dollars are spent. A report from Michigan State University published in Public Opinion Quarterly, finds that, despite all the hype and policy revisions to the contrary, Americans still want local control of public schools.

Conference Highlights

We hope those who attended the conference enjoyed their time and found the information beneficial. Shown below are a couple of pictures that recap some of the items discussed:


Peggy Jo Kennett, a member of the Jordan Board of Education, takes the reins as USBA President. She has served as an Officer for three years and is a member of the Board of Directors. Peggy Jo is a successful leader of leaders. She is a collaborative leader.


Kristi Swett, a member of the SLC Board of Education, was elected USBA's new 2nd Vice President at the Annual Conference which wrapped up on Sat. Jan. 12.


Thanks Mark Marsh for a great year! A touch of class as he thanked and presented officers and staff with a rose and bouquet of roses to his wife Julie, his support.


The weather was cold outside but a warm atmosphere and lots of great info inside!


Thanks for your evaluation of the USBA Annual Conference. The two most frequently mentioned items were the Master Boards Award Break-out Sessions and Murray Banks.