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letter to the editor/South: USC board member elected NSBA head
Thursday, April 10, 2008

I was fortunate to attend the National School Boards Association's Annual Conference with several colleagues from the Upper St. Clair School Board. Angela Petersen, Amy Billerbeck, Louis Piconi, and I attended workshops, met board members from across the United States, and enjoyed the eloquence of Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and Oscar winning actor Sidney Poitier.

According to NSBA literature, "this conference is the largest national gathering of public officials and showcases world and national leaders who offer inspiration and insight to school leaders". These things alone would have been enough to make the conference a valuable learning experience for each of us. But, there was more.

Upper St Clair School Board's very own Barbara Bolas was elected president of the National School Boards Association. Intellectually, we all knew it was indeed an honor. What we did not really understand was how great of an honor. Once in Orlando, we could feel the importance. On Friday afternoon, we stood on the dais with Barbara, before representatives of every state, as she accepted the position of president for the 2008/2009 term. On Sunday, we heard her speak before an assembly of close to 9,000 attendees in a room the size of a football stadium. Throughout the weekend, we spoke to education leaders who spoke very highly of Barbara. All in all, we were very proud to share this moment with her as colleagues and friends.

Barbara Bolas is an asset to our community and represents Upper St Clair well. According to the NSBA Web site, she will preside over an organization that fosters "excellence and equity in public education through school board leadership.''

Founded in 1940, NSBA represents 95,000 local school board members, virtually all of whom are elected. These local officials govern 14,890 local school districts serving the nation's more than 47 million public school students.

We can all take pride in our local school board member, Barbara Bolas.

REBECCA STERN

Upper St. Clair

The writer is a member of the Upper St. Clair school Board.

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First published on April 10, 2008 at 6:14 am