Current School Board president, Chris Cournoyer, was elected to be an Iowa State Senator on Nov. 6 of this year. Because of this, she can no longer serve as the School Board president for Pleasant Valley. Many are inquiring the question: what happens now?
The next step for Pleasant Valley will be for Dr. Nikhil Wagle to assume the position of president of the School Board. Because the current president cannot fulfill the rest of her presidency, Vice-President Wagle is next in line to fill that position. For this upcoming term, it is going to be a bit more of a challenge because Jim Spelhaug is resigning from his position as superintendent. Next year, Pleasant Valley will have a new superintendent: Brian Strusz.
To help this new situation, once he assumes the presidency, Wagle stated that he is going to, “support both individuals (Strusz and Spelhaug) to make for a smooth transition.” He wants to make sure that he gives both people his support as school board president and help the changeover go as well as it possibly can.
One of Wagle’s other main priorities is going to be abiding by our school’s mission statement. The statement reads: “It is the vision of Pleasant Valley Community School District that we shall provide the finest academic and extra-curricular programs in the state – not in some things, but in everything; not for some students, but for every student.” Following this statement has been and will continue to be one of the most critical things that the board will focus on.
Along with making sure that the board is following the school’s mission statement, lobbying with the state legislature is another big focus of Wagle’s. He stated, “Making sure we have adequate funding for our district to continue to provide a top-notch education for our students is another priority that we continue to have.”
As stated in board policy 202.2, the school board president’s main role is to, “Preside at all meetings, sign warrants and drafts and all orders drawn upon the Treasurer as provided by law, sign contracts made by the board and appear in behalf of this corporation in all actions brought by or against it.” Looking at Wagle’s main priorities and listening to him talk about what he has to stay about the upcoming school year, he will be a great person to fill Cournoyer’s position.
