Life as a Board Member: Governing through the eyes of a twentysomething.
National School Boards Association Annual Conference
Full Conference – Day 3

Monday, March 31, 2008
From Orlando, Florida

Andrew C.M. Mizsak
Member of the Bedford Board of Education (Bedford, Ohio)
E-Mail: amizsak@sbcglobal.net

Gene Brodersen, the National Affiliates Coordinator for the NSBA, asked us at some of the NSBA National Affiliates Roundtable here at the Annual Conference to share our thoughts and experiences as to what life as a School Board Member is like. I figured I would share some thoughts here.

For this Board Member, it is more and different than I ever thought it would be.

As Michael Resnick, NSBA’s Associate Executive Director for Legislative Affairs asked us at a session this afternoon how many of our us feel as if our feet are dragging and our eyes are dropping? I can tell you that I am beginning to feel the effects of a heavy schedule, lots of travel, and so many things to do.

I initially wanted to run for this Office in 2003, but because my mom was on the ballot for City Council that year, it was not a good idea to run. I am glad I did not run, as I had a great experience serving as her campaign manager, and because of the constraints of grad school.

When I decided to seek Office in 2004, I did it for many of the same reasons that my colleagues, who I ended running with as a slate: We love our community, we love our schools, we are tired of the bad reputation and poor perception our schools are receiving in the community, and we want tougher and tighter discipline in our schools. Each of us also brought a specific area of interest or expertise to the table, too, and that, coupled with the areas of interest that the other two members of the Board have, makes us a pretty strong unit.

Life as a Board of Education Member is more than just attending a few meetings a month, hiring teachers and purchasing items, showing up at school events, and sporting a little green and white from time to time.

Life as a Board of Education Member is intense. It is a lot of work. It is a lot of homework. And, it is a lot of time away from family and friends…a meeting here, a concert there, an event from time to time. As public officials, we could be in four different places every night, and that does not include during normal business hours when many of us have other full-time jobs.

One of the hurdles I encountered during my campaign, and I sometimes still face, is the fact that I am only 27. Whenever a young person seeks elected office, their age, due to a limited life experience, is a huge issue of credibility. The other problems that people in my age bracket face, including myself, is that we a.) let our egos get in the way, and b.) are so ambitious that we think we can change the world in a single bound.

In April, 2007, I had the privilege of lecturing at a training seminar hosted by the Ohio Young Democrats on running for office. I told those assembled in the room that they need to take a step back and give themselves a reality check as to why they want to be an elected officeholder, what they seek to accomplish, and how they plan on doing it. During the interview before the editorial board of the Bedford Sun Banner that my colleagues and I attended in order to seek the endorsement, I was asked by the then-editor “You’re 25, you live at home with your parents, you have no children, what do you know?” After the interview, and following my being ticked off for a little bit, I used that flippant comment by the editor as inspiration and motivation to work harder to get elected and serve well as a Member of the Bedford Board of Education.

The kicker about this job is that you get out of it what you put in. I love doing work on legislative issues, and I love reading up on policy. I have no qualms about getting up early, reading a bunch of newspapers, clipping articles, or going through the status report of legislation published weekly by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. I also have no qualms about working long hours in order to do this job properly. I use Sundays as my catch-up and prep days to get ready for Board Meetings or to do other Board-related homework.

Every time I start to question why I am doing this, or begin to let up on my work, I think of what that editor said, and I also know that there are people in the District whose respect, trust, and vote I want to earn. I hope people see that I will do all I can…sacrifice if need be…to be a good public servant.

I can tell you that in my mind and in my heart, I feel as if I have grown into this job. I definitely can say that compared to what I thought I knew, I really did not know much. I have learned so much, and I continue to learn so much from my colleagues, from our Administrative Team, faculty, and staff, and from our students.

No two days are the same, and weekends are jam-packed with activities. And sometimes, its seems as if sleeping in on a Saturday or going to the grocery store dressed like a scrub on a lazy Sunday afternoon comes at a premium. I am not complaining, and I never would. Having grown up in a family of public servants, I knew darn well what I was getting into. As my parents told me when I was a teenager, when you are a public servant, you always represent the Institution before you represent yourself…the Institution is greater than we can ever be. So, when I do little things like always wear my Member pin, it is because I am doing it out of respect for the District, the Board, and the people we serve.

I am very fortunate to have very understanding friends, who know that it is sometimes difficult to schedule time to hang out with them, or do things on the fly. My friends are also very understanding when I tell them that I cannot do something with them because I have to attend an event or go to a meeting or a school function. I know it has taken a bit of a toll on my relationship with them, and believe me, I want to do all I can to keep any more damage from being done. My friends are loyal and true and solid, and I know I can count on them for absolutely anything. I have known some of these guys 20 years, and there is no way I would do anything to dishonor them either.

I am so privileged to be on a Board where we look at each other as family, and where we have personal relationships and histories with each other. My friend, and Board Vice President, Debi Kozak, when we attended OSBA’s New Board Member Workshop, made two observations that absolutely shocked me. Of course, I never realized that she knew me as well as she did, even though we coached swimming together, I went to school with her daughter, she and my mother had known each other for a long time, and she watched me grow up. When OSBA’s Fred Pausch started talking about legislative issues, and she saw me doing my thing when it comes to that stuff, she said that she then understood why I ran for this seat, and that she knew that since I was little, I wanted to run for office. Now, here is someone I campaigned with, someone I had shared some of my closest thoughts with on a professional level, but did not realize that she saw that. When she said that, it truly touched my heart.

I ran for this Office because I wanted to give back to my community. I ran for this Office because I love our community. The communities and the people of the Bedford City School District have given me so much, and the least I could do is step up and serve.

I love being a part of the Bedford Schools family, and I love being a part of a group of professionals who care so much about the children of our community. I love this job, and it is the greatest experience I have ever had as a public servant.

Yes, there is sometimes little sleep, and often long hours, but it is well worth it.