Did you know that NWBOCES and all Colorado BOCES are governed by a board of directors? We have one representative board member from each of our member districts' school boards. So while the board members were elected to their respective school boards, they volunteer to be on the BOCES board.

Being on a BOCES board is particularly challenging but also rewarding. Board members have to balance the needs and wants of their districts while also making decisions in the best interest of the BOCES which benefits all its member districts. Board members receive their board meeting agendas and packets a week prior to the regular board meetings which are held six times per year. The board members are encouraged to meet with their district superintendents to confer about the upcoming meeting. The superintendent can help educate the board member on the topics in the agenda as well as recommend how he or she would like the board member to vote on upcoming action items. They may also discuss questions the board member should bring up at the meeting concerning the BOCES policies, budget, district assessments and much more. This meeting of the minds is especially important because BOCES board members frequently rotate every 2 or 3 years so historical knowledge can be lost. It is crucial to the successful operation of the BOCES that its board members are educated and engaged regarding relevant issues affecting the BOCES and we are extremely grateful to those who have chosen to serve in the past.

Before the pandemic, the meetings were held in rotating locations among the member district so everyone had a turn to stay near home for a meeting. Since the NWBOCES territory is so large, the drives to attend meetings were often over an hour away and at night in the winter, the drives home could be quite harrowing. One of the silver linings of the pandemic was that the meetings were held virtually which made attendance a lot easier. For that reason, most NWBOCES board meetings continue to be held virtually. If members are still not able to attend a regular meeting, they are encouraged to have assigned another member of their school board as their backup to attend in their stead. If more than 2 of our board members are not able to attend, the meeting must be rescheduled.  Considering that we provide Special Education services, among other programs, for over 700 students across 6 districts, we depend heavily on the thoughtful consideration and good judgement of our dedicated board members.