The Colorado Association of School Boards recognized the Elizabeth Board of Education as a 2014 Board of Distinction at the Elizabeth board's regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 10. Randy Black, CASB director of member relations, presented the award to the board and praised its teamwork, encouraging the members to continue to show initiative.

“The judges have a definition of excellence,” Black told the board as he presented it with the certificate. “And we will only honor that.”

Black also told board members that they set a standard for rural communities in Colorado, and said he was happy to see other school boards in the state follow their example.

The recognition stems from the selection process for the All State Board of Education Award presented each year by CASB. This year the Elizabeth, Brighton, and Eads school districts were all in the final running.

The CASB judging board evaluated each applying board's governance in five areas: engagement with constituents , demonstrated leadership, ethics, the board's development as a team, and response to challenges.

“It's a multi-layered process that assesses the board's leadership and performance,” Black said, likening the evaluation process to a horse race where each district's board is assessed against the criteria as it moves through the selection process. In some years, when no district has met the minimum standard, the prize is not awarded.

Both the Elizabeth and Brighton districts were rounding the final turn, as Black put it, when the Eads School District RE-1 crossed the proverbial finish line.

“There is a huge misunderstanding of what individual board members can do. No individual board member has any real power, so they must work as a team,” Black said. “For two years, the Elizabeth School District has demonstrated excellence and continued improvement. To be a Board of Distinction you must be very close to winning the Colorado All State Board of Education Award.”

According to the Elizabeth district's application for the award, board members are “confident they are on the right path, and more importantly, the community seems to agree. Pass or fail, the district is stronger for the efforts of the board. The result of their careful introspection, intense public engagement, and solid data-driven decision-making will be a much stronger future for our students and our schools.”

The Colorado Association of School Boards represents more than 1,000 school board members and superintendents statewide. The organization, established in 1940, supports school board members and promotes the interests and welfare of school districts throughout Colorado.