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Reflections of a School Board Member
Author: Chase Ragen

Reflections of a School Board Member

Chase Ragen

As I have reflected on the last three years representing the community where I grew up, I feel very blessed to have had this experience. As a constituent recently told me (one who has served on a school board as well), no one really understands unless they have served.

Small communities, like Townsend, can prove challenging having relationships and friendships with educators in the district adds a level of pressure and uneasiness. The local newspaper coined last week’s election as an “upset”. For my supporters that is probably true, however, from a personal level; this is a relief for me. Those of you who know me well understand how much I have on my plate.

From a school board perspective, I do have some minor concerns moving forward. The concerns I have now pale in comparison to three years ago when I knew I needed to run to help make a difference. It is unfortunate that the recent school board candidate forum was not recorded, as I felt that would have been beneficial for our community to make an informed decision on their ballots. I would like to highlight a few things that were addressed during that forum, as well as some closing thoughts.

I ran on a platform of school safety and getting a School Resource Officer on campus as the number one goal. The board accomplished this right away with a close 3-2 vote. However, I know now the school board member who voted against it has seen the benefit of this position. I am confident with Mr. Racht’s leadership as superintendent and commitment to safety that this position will once again be a reality for our school in the very near future.

My biggest challenge over the past three years was to turn the tide of some counterproductive behavior. As a participant in the establishment of our Townsend District Strategic Plan and Vision, I am pleased with the outcome.

Many of our outstanding teachers and educators also attended the planning meetings and one of the common themes was “accountability”. This was refreshing for me to hear. However, when the board received the final draft at a board meeting to memorialize, there really wasn’t anything to that effect in the plan.

I identified this shortcoming and that we needed to add a clause about “professional behavior” being the standard. The board all unanimously agreed and amended the document. Now our administrators have a document to help back up their recommendations. This document is so critical for our Superintendent, as it lays out clear expectations our community has for the position. Additionally, I’m happy to report that at our most recent board meeting, the district saw the results of this based on Mr. Racht’s recommendation on the matter.

Why is my standard of accountability, professionalism, and professional behavior in the education field so high? As a fellow 1994 BCHS classmate of mine reminisced the other day, we had a magical experience attending Townsend Schools. From Mrs. Turcotte’s Hokey Pokey, Judy Colbert’s warm hugs, Mr. C’s renditions of John Denver in music, Mrs. Poole’s "Dick Clark's hits of the 60’s", John Hilton’s "Oregon Trail", Tom Arensmeyer’s “Caveman and Dumb Son”, Mr. Flynn’s Math Competitions, and Chuck Harvey’s hall of fame coaching and PE class, etc. The list goes on and on.

And to also mention the administrators we had, Mr. John Ryan and Al McMillian were nothing short of extraordinary. Yes, the standard I have for our school is very high because those were my experiences here in Townsend and that is what I want for ALL our kids in the community. The truth is, a positive experience at school with professional educators and teachers makes a world of difference in the future of our students and our community. Let’s all want and fight for that in our local school!

With that said, I stand by every decision I made over the past three years. Are there some things that I would have done differently? Of course. That’s learning. That’s education. However, my outcome would have been the same: it’s all about the students, period. The exceptional teachers and educators we have also believe this.

I want to thank all my constituents and supporters over the past 3 years. It was very refreshing for folks to reach out and to encourage me when I was facing some difficult situations and delicate decisions. Through all of that, I maintained the “high road,” and I’m glad for it. After all, we are a small community with awesome values. Thank you for all of your support over the last few years. Go Bulldogs!!