We honor school board members

Local school board members oversee one of society's most important endeavors: the education of our youth

The Minnesota School Boards Association has set Feb. 18-22 as School Board Recognition Week in Minnesota as a time to build awareness and understanding of the vital function an elected board of education plays in our society. Cloquet Public Schools is joining all public school districts across the state to celebrate School Board Recognition Week to honor local board members for their commitment to Cloquet and its children.

The education of our youth is one of the most important public endeavors we undertake. Our elected board members have the very difficult task of providing the best education possible to our children while making responsible use of the dollars entrusted to our schools by our taxpayers. They dedicate their time and attention to ensuring that we provide a strong and supportive system of schools for the continued success of our children and community.

The key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:

• Creating a vision for what the community wants the school district to be and for making student achievement the top priority;

• Establishing standards for what students will be expected to learn and be able to do;

• Ensuring progress is measured to be sure the district's goals are achieved and students are learning at expected levels;

• Being accountable for their decisions and actions by continually tracking and reporting results;

• Creating a safe, orderly climate where students can learn and teachers can teach;

• Forming partnerships with others in the community to solve common problems; and

• Focusing attention on the need for continuous improvement by questioning, refining and revising issues related to student achievement.

School board members give the Cloquet citizens a voice in education decision making. Even though we make a special effort to show our appreciation in February, their contribution is a year-round commitment.

The members serving our district and their years of service are as follows:

Ted Lammi, Board Chair (April 22, 2013-Dec. 31, 2022)

Nate Sandman, Board Clerk (Jan. 1, 2017-Dec. 31, 2020)

Dave Battaglia, Board Treasurer (Jan. 1, 2011-Dec. 31, 2022)

Jim Crowley (Jan. 1, 2004-Dec. 31, 2020)

Duane Buytaert (Jan. 1, 2006-Dec. 31, 2020)

Gary Huard (

Jan. 1, 2004-Dec. 31, 2016, and Jan. 1, 2019-Dec. 31, 2022)