What is the Board of Education?

The Board of Education is a group of seven Benton area residents elected by district voters to provide public education for children of the district, to set the policies under which the schools operate, and to hire the staff to administer these policies. School boards are created by the state legislature, and their powers and duties are delegated to them by state law. If a school board member resigns, a board member is appointed by the vacant position by the remaining six members to serve until the next election.

The Benton School District Board of Education is one of approximately 430 similar boards in the State of Wisconsin that operate local school districts. Although the members of school boards are like local legislators, they are obligated to work under State and Federal laws.

Our school board has endeavored to represent the "will of the people" within the framework of its statutory responsibility to provide quality education for all students. The school board invites citizen participation at school board meetings, utilizes citizen committees in an advisory capacity, and has offered all citizens of the school district the opportunity to express their views and expectations through occasional surveys and public hearings. In addition, the school board makes preparation for and structures its annual school district meeting to facilitate local citizen input.