I attended the School Board Reorganization meeting on November 17 at 3 p.m. The first part was the recognition of all the new positions for the board members. Carol Kurdell stepped down as Chair and Susan Valdes became the new leading member of the board. Dorothea Edgecombe filled Mrs. Valdes’ seat as Vice Chair.
Since I had spoken with Mrs. Valdes at the last public meeting about the possibility of her new position I was pleased to hear she accomplished her goal. She is the first Hispanic female to serve as the school board’s Chairperson.
After the announcement of the new positions, there was a recess of the meeting. The room was buzzing with excitement for Valdes. Her family brought roses and they were all there to support her. I spoke to her daughter, Mallory Valdes about her mother’s involvement in the school system.
“She’s been on the PTA starting from when I was in kindergarten”, Mallory recalled. Even when she worked full time as a clinic manager for the Hillsborough County Health Care Program, Valdes used her time and skills to serve the public schools in this area. At first, her inspiration was her own children. Now, she serves the county’s students because she sees the need for good leadership to ensure a good future for these kids.
Valdes said, “I’m just excited to be the leader of the 8th largest school district in the nation.”
And rightfully so, her work on the school board affects the lives of almost 200,000 students and their families. This school district has a great impact because of its enormity. Valdes will oversee a budget of $2.6 billion and 30,000 employees. The decisions made by the school board affect every taxpayer in the county.
Kathy Brown also attended the meeting. She is a parent of former Hillsborough County students and a volunteer in the schools. She knows Valdes personally from her work in the district. She is Mrs. Valdes’ representative on the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. She said she comes to the meetings to “listen and show support”.
She said, “Schools are a big deal in our community so we have to pay attention.”
Brown explained that she pays attention because “They actually makes decisions that affect us.”
Because her position affects so many lives, I am truly pleased Mrs. Valdes got the job. She is a great person to communicate with, she has a heart for people, especially students, and she works hard at what she wants to see done.
Since I had spoken with Mrs. Valdes at the last public meeting about the possibility of her new position I was pleased to hear she accomplished her goal. She is the first Hispanic female to serve as the school board’s Chairperson.
After the announcement of the new positions, there was a recess of the meeting. The room was buzzing with excitement for Valdes. Her family brought roses and they were all there to support her. I spoke to her daughter, Mallory Valdes about her mother’s involvement in the school system.
“She’s been on the PTA starting from when I was in kindergarten”, Mallory recalled. Even when she worked full time as a clinic manager for the Hillsborough County Health Care Program, Valdes used her time and skills to serve the public schools in this area. At first, her inspiration was her own children. Now, she serves the county’s students because she sees the need for good leadership to ensure a good future for these kids.
Valdes said, “I’m just excited to be the leader of the 8th largest school district in the nation.”
And rightfully so, her work on the school board affects the lives of almost 200,000 students and their families. This school district has a great impact because of its enormity. Valdes will oversee a budget of $2.6 billion and 30,000 employees. The decisions made by the school board affect every taxpayer in the county.
Kathy Brown also attended the meeting. She is a parent of former Hillsborough County students and a volunteer in the schools. She knows Valdes personally from her work in the district. She is Mrs. Valdes’ representative on the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. She said she comes to the meetings to “listen and show support”.
She said, “Schools are a big deal in our community so we have to pay attention.”
Brown explained that she pays attention because “They actually makes decisions that affect us.”
Because her position affects so many lives, I am truly pleased Mrs. Valdes got the job. She is a great person to communicate with, she has a heart for people, especially students, and she works hard at what she wants to see done.
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