February 20th - 24th is School Board Recognition Week in South Dakota. The Harrisburg School District celebrates the collaboration among the board, school leadership, teachers, and parents on behalf of students. “Recognizing the efforts of our volunteer school board is so important because of all the hard work they put into making our District a success,” Superintendent Tim Graf said.
“During School Board Recognition Week, we encourage public school districts to celebrate their elected leaders for their service to the students, staff and community,” ASBSD Executive Director Wade Pogany said.
The school board was presented with certificates recognizing their dedication and commitment to the students of the Harrisburg School District at the February 13th school board meeting. Over the years, the board has earned multiple awards recognizing their collective efforts to enhance their knowledge of school board work.
South Dakota school boards are critical to the success of students and the future of our State. Boards lead their districts in the right direction, providing oversight, setting goals, overseeing the budget, and selecting and evaluating the superintendent. Our school board volunteers serve for the betterment of their local schools and communities. This week, we'll get to know each a little better.
Linda Heerde
Linda Heerde is the Director of Leadership, Education & Development at Sanford Health, and currently serves as the Vice Chairperson on the school board. Linda’s children are Tigers through and through. Christian graduated from Harrisburg High School last year and attended HSD from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Asher is currently a 5th grader at Journey Elementary. Heerde says growing up in Sioux Falls, she felt the Harrisburg community, being “only a few miles away, had the small town feel and great schools I was looking for to raise my family.”
Heerde says she volunteers her time on the school board because, “I have spent my entire career in the field of education. It is something I am really passionate about and feel like serving as a board member gives me the opportunity to contribute to something I really love!” She finds the most rewarding part is “the ability to make decisions that impact our schools in a positive way which includes ensuring our students and staff have access to the resources they need, creating policies to ensure our schools are safe, and hiring the best staff for our students. I truly believe we have the best superintendent, school administrators, teachers, and support staff in our state! We have assembled a strong team in our district that set out each day to make a difference in the lives of our students. I appreciate the support our community has shown our district over the years as we have tried hard to stay ahead of our rapid growth. I also value the opportunity to represent our community by serving on the board. It is my 9th year and my commitment and excitement to serve only continues to grow stronger each year.”