The following individuals and school districts were honored at MSBO’s 72nd Annual Conference in April. Beginning with our September issue of MSBO eNews & Views, we will provide in-depth articles on this year’s Meridian Award of Excellence recipients’ programs.
MSBO Meridian Award of Excellence
This special recognition award acknowledges successful practices in all areas of school management and education. Award winners will be presented a crystal award and a monetary donation to their district’s student scholarship fund as part of their recognition.
MSBO recognized five school districts this year. Award winners include Wayne-Westland Community Schools for their I-SAVE program – Individuals Save And Vie For Energy Efficiency and Greenville Public Schools for their energy program. Three honorable mention award winners include Belding Area Schools for their “Free Breakfast for All” program, Wayland Union Schools for their “Recycling as an Educational Tool” program, and the Dexter Community Schools Business Office for their program, “Disposal of Obsolete Property: Reaching Out to Our Local Constituents.”
Friend of Education
This special award honors individuals who are not members of MSBO and yet, have been dedicated to serving the best interests of education and students. This year, MSBO honored Dr. Charles Ballard, Professor of Economics at Michigan State University. Dr. Ballard was selected because of his tireless efforts to get the word out on the economic realities facing Michigan and the need to restructure financing for public education. He has brought a unique voice to this issue through his passion and style.
MSBO Distinguished Service Award
The Distinguished Service Award is one of the highest honors MSBO presents. It is given to an MSBO member who provides exemplary and inspirational service to MSBO and the school business management community. This year’s recipient is Art Bolt from Hudsonville Public Schools.
Art has served as Assistant Superintendent of Business for the past 25 years, which has resulted in his being a key steward of the district. It is said that Art realizes the importance of allocating necessary resources directly into the classroom. Art’s peers describe him as a competent and reliable professional who has consistently delivered results. More importantly, they praise him for his honest and direct approach to challenging and complex issues and as a person who can be relied on to deal with tough issues confronting school districts today.
School Business Official of the Year (SBOY)
Rick Terres from Howell Public Schools is this year’s SBOY recipient. As MSBO School Business Official of the Year, Rick will receive a $1,500 professional development scholarship to attend the ASBO International Annual Meeting, which will be held in Orlando, Florida this September and he will also be nominated for ASBO’s Eagle Award.
Using the words of his nominators, “the area that sets Rick apart has to be his innovation in developing partnerships between community organizations, businesses and schools.”
“Some long-term administrators seem to fade on the job. Not so with Rick! In recent years, he has become even more active. He also trains school board members and others in school finance, making a complicated issue accessible.”
President’s Award
Thomas Goodwin, Chief Financial Officer at Grand Ledge Public Schools, this year’s President’s Award recipient, was chosen because of his support of public education in Michigan and his diligent efforts to get the word out on the need for financial support of education to various groups, including legislators, through the establishment of The Practitioner’s Summit. Tom has recruited a cross section of individuals from around the state, working hard to keep the focus on the funding problems in the State of Michigan and advancing ideas on how to solve the current issues facing schools.
Congratulations everyone!