January is School Board Recognition Month in North Carolina and Asheboro City Schools has an amazing board who believe in opportunities for all students. School board members play a vital role and they go above and beyond to volunteer their time in support of the district, our schools, and the needs of our entire community. Our current Board of Education has made it a priority that regardless of the obstacles Asheboro City Schools will be a high-performing, innovative school district educating all children to the highest levels.
This important work cannot be done in a vacuum. Instead, the district team, leadership, school staff, and stakeholders work in constant collaboration with the board of education to meet all priorities. Reform and strategic action steps require time in conversation, in celebration, and dedicated time to meet and deliberately plan. However, the time spent in board meetings represents just a small fraction of the hours school board members spend in leading our district. They attend community round table discussions, school events, training sessions, and innovative problem solving venues. ACS Board members contribute hundreds of hours each year by crafting policies, hiring top-notch educators, listening to staff and student concerns, as well as recognizing outstanding programs.
Our eleven ACS board members are extraordinary citizens who tackle the enormous job of governing our district, and their actions and decisions affect the present and future lives of our children. In Asheboro our board continually maintains a focus on the goal of student achievement, access to resources, and the safety of all individuals in our schools.
The role of the board is:
To provide vision and direction for the school system.
To create policies in accordance with state law and establish standards, accountability, and evaluation of essential operations of the school district.
To prepare the budget for presentation to the county commissioners.
To hire, support, and evaluate the Superintendent.
To perform judicial functions by conducting hearings as appropriate.
To advocate for the school district, staff, and especially the students in all interactions with other governmental entities and the public.
Too often we forget about the personal sacrifices school board members routinely make in their work to support our district. It is important to be reminded of the critical role these members play in ensuring local control over our public schools and the decisions made for our children with input from our citizens. In the tradition of representative democracy, school board members are our connection to influencing how our public schools are governed. They are elected to sit as representatives for our diverse community and in that capacity charged with meeting the communities expectations and aspirations for all students in Asheboro City Schools.
I want to say thank you to our Board of Education on behalf of the entire ACS district for their hard work and commitment to improving outcomes for students. Thank you for being a guardian and steward of scarce tax dollars, to maintain and preserve the buildings and grounds of our campuses, and create spaces of hope for every ACS learner! Without the Board of Education’s leadership, vision, and focus, the accomplishments of Asheboro City Schools would not be possible. I am grateful to serve in partnership with each of these unselfish members, who dedicate their time and energy for the betterment of our most precious commodity - our children!
Aaron Woody
ACS Superintendent