The Alabama Association of School Boards is asking you to help us celebrate school board members' service. January is Alabama's 23rd Annual School Board Member Recognition Month. Throughout the month, schools, employers, community leaders and education supporters across the state will salute more than 800 local school board members. A toolkit has been posted for any education supporter to use as a guide to honor the dedicated men and women.

AASB’s School Board Member Recognition Month Kit includes an array of materials to help you honor school board members for the commitment to the children of your community. Refer to the memo or letter for the school board president, the principal, the superintendent or the chamber/business executive for details.

This toolkit includes:

· Black & white logos of various sizes

· A template for customizable certificates for city & county school boards
(in Microsoft Word and as a pdf)

· A template for customizable certificates for special school boards
(in Microsoft Word and as a pdf)

· A sample editorial to mail to local newspapers

· A sample “thank you” letter to send to board members’ employers

· A sample resolution for use by local organizations and governing bodies

· A list of creative suggestions for honoring board members

· Advertisements to use in school and community newsletters and publications

· Scripts for radio public service announcements

· Suggestions for messages to put on schools’ and businesses’ marquees, electronic signs or to send using social media

· A customizable press release announcing Board Member Recognition Month that could also be used in newsletters and newspapers

Also, we have included an evaluation that will help us compile a list of ways local schools are honoring their board members.  Please complete and return it to us at the end of January but no later than March 7, so we can continue to improve our kit.

Superintendents are asked to personalize and print certificates for each school board member and give them to the board president for distribution at the January board meeting.

AASB encourages medium to large school systems to consider coordinating events among the school so that neither the schools nor the board members are overwhelmed with activities during the month.