“It’s exciting to see so many of you here,” said Los Alamos County Clerk Naomi Maestas to the 11 prospective Los Alamos School Board candidates gathered Friday in the LAPS board room to learn what being a school board member is all about.

Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus joined School Board President Ellen Ben-Naim and School Board Secretary Jennifer McCumber in explaining the ins and outs of serving on the School Board and Maestas and her staff were on hand to explain the process, filing rules and deadlines to those contemplating a run for the Board.

Filing is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27 in Room 200 on the second floor at the County Municipal Building, 1000 Central Ave., Maestas said.

Of the 11 potential candidates, five reside in the Mountain School District and three each in the Aspen and Barranca Districts. The two White Rock School Board members are not up for election this year.

“On the Board, you represent the whole of the Los Alamos School District,” Ben-Naim said. “I had to get to know the issues in all of the neighborhoods.”

Ben-Naim and McCumber said they spend between 5 and 20 hours a month on school board business, including both daytime and evening events, training, regional meetings in addition to two regular school board meetings and work sessions each month. There’s also getting up to speed on issues coming before the board, they reminded the would-be candidates.

Ben-Naim said major duties of the school board include approving and overseeing the LAPS budget, reviewing and making policy and supervising the superintendent.

Ben-Naim warned the prospective candidates that their ability to make changes will be limited, because the board decides issues together.

“Running the everyday operations of the schools is not our purview,” she said.

Ben-Naim said her greatest frustration with serving on the school board is “how long it takes to implement change”. The accomplishment that has meant the most to her was helping to put the Healthy Schools Initiative in place.

McCumber said the accomplishment of the board that meant the most to her was hiring Kurt Steinhaus as superintendent.

“If there’s any money to be found in the state, he will find it and he will get it!” she said.

Raises for teachers and developing the LAPS strategic plan also were accomplishments important to both Ben-Naim and McCumber.

The two stressed that school board is a seat meant for community members.

“You don’t have to be an education expert,” McCumber said.

McCumber will step down from her post on the board next term and plans to take a break and pursue other things but didn’t rule out future service on the school board.

 “I’d do it again in a heart-beat,” she said.