January is School Board Recognition Month, and George West school district recognized its local leaders for devoting time to support public education and serve George West’s schools, said GW Superintendent Ty Sparks.

Sparks said Texans benefit every day from the tireless work and countless hours contributed by a group of more than 7,300 men and women in communities across the state.

These local volunteers are elected by their constituents and receive no compensation for their work as public servants. These men and women are the school board members of Texas.

“It’s more important than ever before that the public shows support for public education. Board members face critical challenges in their roles as advocates, and they will continue to stand strong and guard against anything that takes away from our children and undermines our public schools,” Sparks said.

“Even though we are making a special effort in January to show appreciation to our board members, we realize their many contributions reflect a year-round commitment. They generously give of themselves to ensure that decisions directly affecting our local schools are made by representatives of this community, people who are close to our schools and know our teachers, parents and students,” he said.

“In these challenging times, they face difficult choices and shoulder critical responsibilities. Their ultimate goal is always focused on the future success of the children in our district,” Sparks said.

The George West school board includes the following members: Cheri Dee Moore, board president; Jimmy Moore; Cosme Arciba, board vice president, Sam F. Keach Jr.; Josie Chapline, board secretary; Kathy Likens; and Mackey Alvarez, board assistant secretary.