WHEREAS,  school boards are charged under law with the allimportant responsibility of being accountable for the education of Maine children in order to prepare them for a rewarding and productive future; and

WHEREAS,  school boards must articulate a vision and direction for their school districts, set high academic standards and approve the hiring of qualified staff most capable of making that vision a reality; and

WHEREAS,  school boards must adopt a budget that balances student needs with the community's ability to pay and advocate for passage of that budget to ensure adequate funding to provide all children with the opportunity to learn; and

WHEREAS,  all of these responsibilities and more are done by volunteer board members, who put in countless hours in meetings and in the community advocating for their schools, representing the interests of children, parents and all citizens of the district and preserving the valued tradition of local control over kindergarten to grade 12 public education; now, therefore, be it