School Board Recognition Month, in January, is celebrated by 539 local and 29 CareerTech school districts in Oklahoma, as over 2700 elected school board members are honored by their schools and communities for untiring dedication to school governance.

“The foundation of school leadership is ensuring equal learning opportunities for all students,” says Dr. Steve Tiger, Superintendent at Pioneer Technology Center. “We’re proud of our district, and School Board Recognition Month is the time to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our elected trustees.”

In the Pioneer Technology Center district, school board members must develop policies and make tough decisions on complex educational and social issues impacting the entire community. They bear responsibility for an annual budget, students, employees and buildings.

“School board members make decisions that affect 627,575 Oklahoma children and $3.8 billion in educational expenditures,” notes Tiger. “They preserve the core of our democracy-public education.”

The men and women serving Pioneer Technology Center and their years of service are Mary Rigdon, 12 years; Larry Buck, 11 years; Robert Howard, 9 years; Orva Rothgeb, 8 years; J.D. Soulek, 8 years. Pioneer Technology Center administration and staff are hosting a reception on January 19 at 6:00 p.m. to honor their current board members. The public is invited; call 580-718-4304 to RSVP.