The Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) is asking school districts and communities to thank and recognize the state’s 872 local board of education members during the January observance of School Board Recognition Month.

“The month of January has become a time for Kentuckians –and, in fact, for people in many other states — to offer their ‘thank yous’ to the men and women who serve on our local boards of education,” said KSBA President and Lincoln County board member Tom Blankenship. “Allow me to add my own nod of appreciation to the 871 other local board members in Kentucky’s 174 school districts. Your work on behalf of your children, your staff and your community deserves a year-round salute, because those labors represent 12 months of study, choices and decisions.”

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday also saluted board members for their service to children and their communities.

“Leaders make a difference, and school board members make a real difference with their long-term policy implications for education,” Holliday said in a video interview posted to the KSBA website. “The local school board is so important because it represents the voice and the political will of the community.

“It’s critical for the school board members to be the eyes and ears of the community,” Holliday said. “The school board sets the vision for the future of the system. Their second most important job is to hire a superintendent to implement that vision through their policies.”