After 16 years on the Yankton School District (YSD) school board, Chris Specht thinks now is a good time for him to say good-bye.

Specht was first elected to the board in 1997 and has served with the board ever since then. Most recently, Specht has served as board president, a position he has been appointed to several times since he was first elected.

Specht’s tenure comes to a close when the board reorganizes for the 2013-14 school year at Monday’s board meeting.

“Back in 1997, I had a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, and while I was a graduate of Yankton High School (YHS) and believed that the education being offered to students was excellent, I wanted to know more about how schools function and how they operated,” he said. “I really wanted to be able to contribute to the continued success of the district.”

Specht said he thought his experiences with insurance and risk management may have helped him contribute during his time on the board.

“Even though I had that background, I was merely one of five votes. I thought the team and board as a whole, along with administration, worked together well to ensure a quality education continues to be offered to students at the district,” he said. “It was a good team effort.”

The best memories Specht said he had on the board was the interaction with students and staff members during his tenure.

“I was able to interact with students, staff members and administration at board meetings, activities, on a committee and during negotiations,” he said. “I really had a lot of good experience during my time on the board.”

However, Specht has faced numerous challenges while on the board.

“The fight politically for per pupil funding in the state has forced us all to look at public education with less of a focus on student achievement and more of a focus on what this will cost,” he said. “In the end, I don’t think that is beneficial for students.”

Specht’s youngest daughter recently graduated from YHS, said that is a big reason why he felt now was a good time to leave the board.

“My youngest daughter graduating was a factor, but another factor was the fact that after you do something for so many years, you begin to feel like there are other people with newer and fresher ideas who can contribute more to the continued success of YSD,” he said. “Everything runs its course, and I felt it was my time to begin to look for different activities to be a part of.”

Despite being a part of the board for the last 16 years, Specht’s tenure was nearly cut short in 2006.

“I got beat in an election in 2006 by Elizabeth White. There were five people running for two open spots on the board, and I finished in third,” Specht said. “She was sworn in to office that July, but in September, she and her family moved out of town and the board asked me to come back. State law allows for individuals to be appointed to serve out the remainder of that year, then the next year I was elected back to a full three-year term.”

One of the things he said he’s most disappointed about during his time on the board was the second property tax opt-out failing.

“Even with that opt-out failing, I think the board and administration have moved in the direction that the community directed them to go, which includes spending down the health insurance reserves,” Specht said. “However, there is going to come a point where the community will have to decide what kind of education and district they want, due to a lack of state funding for public education.”

Board member Jay Williams said, despite only being on the board for the last two years, he’s enjoyed working with Specht.

“I found Chris to be a thoughtful and knowledgeable school board member,” Williams said. “He is, by far, the most experienced member of the board and we will miss his knowledge of the district issues when his term is over. He has been a dedicated and hard-working advocate for YSD, while remaining sensitive to the needs of the community, district staff members and, most importantly, YSD’s students.”

YSD superintendent Wayne Kindle said he always enjoyed how easy it was to work with Specht.

“Part of Specht’s legacy will be his passion for students and the concern for the well-being of all employees. He believed that a successful school district, like YSD, is a product of all the people who work in the district,” Kindle said. “His impact can be seen through our facilities, academic and activities programs. I will miss his sense of humor, honesty and seeing him volunteer at different events — he was a very dedicated school board member.”

Specht said he plans on spending a lot more time with his youngest daughter this summer before she heads off to college, and will also take time to relax.

“I haven’t looked at other volunteer board opportunities yet, and I’ve never seen them as being a chore or a burden in any respect,” he said. “They’re good opportunities to contribute and learn from others, and I look at them as opportunities to give back.”

Specht said it doesn’t matter to him how he is remembered for his time on the board.

“I tried to contribute and be a team player, and did the best I could to get all the facts before making any decision,” he said.

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