Utica City School District Celebrates School Board Recognition Week
UTICA, NY—(City) — Along with the New York State School Boards Association, the Utica City
School District is proud to recognize October 14-18 as School Board Recognition Week.
This week is a moment to promote awareness and understanding of the important work
performed by local school boards. Public schools form the bedrock of our communities and our country. Democracy thrives with educated citizens capable of critical thinking and civil discourse. And it is our local school boards who are ultimately responsible for student success.
“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and our school board members work
tirelessly to create an environment where every student can reach their full potential,” UCSD
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Spence said. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend countless hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our community stakeholders expect.”
The role of a school board member is to raise student achievement by:
• Developing a shared vision and goals for the district
• Ensuring strategies, resources, policies, and programs align with district goals
• Assessing and providing accountability for student achievement
• Supporting a healthy school district culture in which to work and learn
• Evaluating the superintendent to ensure continuous improvement
“School board members give the Utica community 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,” Spence said.
The members serving our district and their years of service are as follows:
● Joseph Hobika, Jr., President
● Danielle N. Padula, Vice President
● Jason Cooper
● Donald Dawes
● Tennille Knoop
● Braedon Nanna
● James Paul
You can learn more about the work of the Utica City School District Board of Education here.