As your new Board of Education president, I'm looking forward to continuing the periodic "President's Message," which is an important part of communication with the community, and I feel helps community members get to know the board by providing some insights about our work. In this message, I want to talk briefly about the role of board president, share a little about myself and the board, and welcome our new superintendent.

What does the board president do? While board members are elected by residents for four-year terms, board officers are elected by their fellow board members for two-year terms. The president is one of seven members and one of seven votes. The president chairs board meetings and makes committee appointments; while the board president does not wield any overall power, the president has the opportunity to influence the tone of the board and has the responsibility to help ensure that the board adheres to its policies, processes, code of conduct and other structures that are so important to its professionalism, fairness and effectiveness.

What can I tell you about me as a person? I'm a husband, a father of three girls, an attorney and a former prosecutor. In 2001 my wife Beth and I decided that I would put my career focus on hold so that I could be at home with our daughter; 12 years and two more daughters later I am still at it! My father was a principal and my mother was a teacher, so I grew up seeing first-hand the hard work involved and hearing about the rewards and challenges of public education.

Our board has a great tradition of working well together with members who are active listeners and who welcome input from stakeholders. Our three new board members--Joe Bochenski, Dean Elger and Patrick Escalante--have already become an integral part of the board, with one of them, Dean Elger, elected as board secretary for the coming two years.

Finally, I want to welcome our new superintendent, Dr. Paul Gordon, who joined us July 1 and who brings a wealth of talent and experience to the district. Dr. Gordon and all of us on the board are looking forward to working together and to engaging with our parents and the community as the year unfolds.