Arlington Community Schools, while being a newer school district, is already one of the state’s most successful. This is due in part to the great success of the school board. One of the newer members of the school board is Scott Benjamin, a local pastor.
Benjamin has been on the board for about a year now. Benjamin discussed how he became a board member. “I was appointed to a position, then I ran for the position unopposed,” Benjamin has kids in the school board here , “I have four kids, one has been through here and 3 are still in the schools.” This is one of the reasons why safety is so important to Benjamin. “We are always pushing to try and make schools safer.”
Benjamin also knows how important the school board is. “Having the right people on the board setting the vision for where we are gonna go is important.” While Benjamin is new on the board, many changes have already been made while Benjamin was a part of it. Benjamin discussed the 1:1 initiative, which gave students IPads. “Students from the 5th grade and up now have iPads and use technology.” Another important addition is the new social media manager for the school district. “Tyler Hill, he has been huge.” Benjamin believes he is important for the school and the school’s branding. He also discussed how important keeping the school board together is. “Renewing the contract of our superintendent, Tammy Mason, was huge.”
Benjamin is committed to his job as a school board member, and does it because of his love for Arlington. “I just love the schools here…”