OPINION: Arcadia School Board Book Study More Than Just Flipping Pages

I’ll be the first person to admit that the first time Arcadia school board president Paul Servais proposed adding a book study to the board’s meetings a few months ago, my first thoughts weren’t positive.

‘Good lord,’ I thought. ‘Sitting through a read-aloud of a probably-boring book I’ve never read? No thanks.’

But I have to admit now that I have seen the way the board has handled it — I was wrong. 

See, the book, ‘The Governance Core’, is directly related to school boards and how they can work together with the district they serve. It gives them talking points and new ideas to consider while also talking over more than just how to follow Robert’s Rules of Order or the polite way to handle public comments.

And the board isn’t just reading the book, which was released in 2019. They dedicate time at the end of each meeting to talk about what they learned and how they can use each chapter to better themselves as board members and the school board as a whole.

And it isn’t like in middle school where the same kid raises his hand to answer the teacher’s ‘What did you like about this book?’ question. Servais goes member by member, asking them to give their thoughts about not only the chapter, but how the board can use the information and how it relates to the Arcadia School District.

The members give their honest opinion, sometimes giving the board credit for having the ideas already established and other times wondering aloud if they could do more.

Superintendent Lance Bagstad is reading along, too, and he contributes to the conversation — which is a good twist considering one of the main points of the book is how school boards and administrators can work better together.

The board plans to have a retreat in the coming weeks to talk about their current policies and whether they want to make any changes to better the board based on the book.

Like I said, I was wrong. A book study that originally had me thinking I would be tapping my foot just waiting for it to end has instead given me a new appreciation for what can happen when a school board does more than just show up and vote on a couple pieces of paper. 

In my time as a reporter I have seen school boards that were not on the same page and struggled to talk about basic school board processes and goals. But in Arcadia this school year, I’ve earned a new appreciation for those who demonstrate a true passion and want to not only continue good leadership but further it, too.