GOWANDA — The New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 22-26, 2018, as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by school board members. The Gowanda Central School District joins all public school districts across the state to celebrate School Board Recognition Week to honor local board members for their commitment to Gowanda and its children.

“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these men and women devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Anderson. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our citizens expect.”

Anderson said the key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:

¯ Creating a shared vision for the future of education;

¯ Setting the direction of the school district to achieve the highest student performance;

¯ Providing accountability for student achievement results;

¯ Developing a budget that aligns district resources to improve achievement;

¯ Supporting a healthy school district culture in which to work and to learn;

And much more.

“School board members gives Gowanda citizens a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in February, their contribution is a year-round commitment,” Anderson said.

The members serving the Gowanda district are: President Cynthia Sutherland, Vice President Edward Daniel York, Lynn Guzzetta, Mark Nephew, Dana Szalay, Janet Vogtli, and Barbara Weston.

Anderson presented certificates of recognition to the board members during the Board of Education meeting held Oct. 17, along with a proclamation from Gov. Cuomo.