David Pickler, Chairman of the Shelby County School Board of Education for the past ten years, has been elected to serve as President of the Tennessee School Boards Association for 2009. Pickler will lead the nearly 1,000 school board members across Tennessee over the next year as the association continues its advocacy for empowering excellence in school boardsmanship and public education.

“School Board members provide leadership and governance for school districts across America through the principles of policy, planning, and promotion. The public school is both the symbol of our democracy and the most pervasive means of promoting our common destiny. School Board members are advocates for every child to have the opportunity to achieve their dreams and fulfill their potential though excellent and accountable public schools”, said Pickler.

Over the course of 2009, the Tennessee School Boards Association under Pickler’s leadership will engage in a campaign to promote public education as the essential ingredient for America to retain its leadership status in innovation, creativity, and economic power. Pickler expressed the importance of this campaign by stating, “Fifty years ago, America awakened to the technological challenge of the Soviet Union launch of Sputnik into space. President John F. Kennedy called our country to duty with his pledge to land a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade. We have benefited mightily from the scientific and technological advances which resulted from our nation united to fulfill Kennedy’s pledge. Today we face a challenge of even greater significance as we confront a rapidly evolving global marketplace. An essential ingredient to success will be our ability to develop our greatest natural resource – our children. As 90% of our nation’s children will be educated in our public schools, America’s ability to maintain its legacy of global leadership will be dependent on the excellence of public education”.