Education, particularly K-12, is being transformed at the federal level, with programs cut, shifted to the states, or absorbed into other federal departments. But most of the work shaping children's education occurs at the state, city and town levels on local boards of education. In this episode of IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us, we are joined by a 17-year veteran of a community BoE, Penny Rashin, who was bitten by the "education bug” after a career in law.

In New Canaan, “education IS the business of the town,” serving the vital schooling needs of youths, and managing the impact of evolving technologies like social media and AI “for the good” of education. “Our job is to make sure the town’s resources and policies give students the skills they need to be successful: technology, social and emotional learning, and knowledge.” Plus offering vast activities in clubs and sports because “you just don’t know what will be the spark.”

Critically, the community is an essential “partner” through public school board meetings or special referendums that, she says, can get contentious, but “it’s good to be feisty! These are important issues in the lives of children.”

This has earned New Canaan’s school system the number one rank in Connecticut – and the 30th best in the US. Perhaps after hearing Penny’s story, listeners might consider running for their local board of education. It’s rewarding and essential to "getting education right" for future generations, and Penny reminds us that “the power is with the voters” – true words for the times.

Episode Notes:
-More about this episode and Penny Rashin's full bio can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords
-More about the New Canaan Board of Education can be found at https://www.ncps-k12.org/page/about-the-board-of-education/
-National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) https://www.nsba.org/home
-Music credit: Frederic Chopin, Waltz in B minor. Music by Nesrality from Pixabay
-CITIZENARTS essential mission is to foster greater understanding of civic issues. We'd love to hear from you about this topic! Email jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org and follow us on Instagram @citizenartsedu, Facebook @citizenartsedu, Bluesky @citizenarts.bsky.social, Twitter/X @citizenartsedu, Threads @citizenartsedu
-We are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. Visit https://www.citizenarts.org/podcasts to access our growing selection of civics-related and historically significant programs. These include:
Hungary’s Cautionary Tale - How Autocrats Broke Democracy; MARCH, an audio drama based on an historically documented moment of Hitler’s rise to dictatorial power; and Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia
-CITIZENARTS podcasts are presented courtesy of gabbegroup Productions. Copyright © gabbegroup Productions

They say all politics is local. And you can't get much more local than the county, one of America’s original forms of government that dates back to 1634 when the first county governments (known as shires) were established in Virginia.

In this episode of IN THEIR WORDS, we're joined by Janeé Hanzlick, Johnson County (KS) Board of County Commissioners, District 4. Commissioner Hanzlick explains how county government fits within the vast, often puzzling structure of state governance, melding with the towns, cities, schools, sheriffs and others.

Thoughtful, empathetic, devoted to the community she serves, the former CEO of Safehome, Johnson County’s domestic violence agency, takes the barbs of sometimes angry, frustrated, even armed constituents – that increasingly come with being a public official nowadays.

"Sometimes we get it wrong," she says, "but we're trying to leave things better than we found them. This opportunity is a privilege, not an entitlement or source of self-identity. When my time is up, I'll do my best to help prepare the next person to have that privilege."

Episode Notes:
-More about this episode and Commissioner Hanzlick's full bio can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords
-National Association of Counties (NACO) website: https://www.naco.org/
-Two books Commissioner Hanzlick recommends to learn more about county government:
Governing on the Ground: The Past, Present, and Future of County Government by Peter Golden. Archway Publishing, 2023. (https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/844620-governing-on-the-ground)
And
Now What?: A Practical Guide for Newly Elected Officials by Larry Tramutola. Mill City Press Inc., 2013. (https://www.amazon.com/Now-What-Practical-Elected-Officials/dp/1935204866)
-Music credit: Frederic Chopin, Waltz in B minor. Music by Nesrality from Pixabay
-CITIZENARTS essential mission is to foster greater understanding of civic issues. We'd love to hear from you about this topic! Email jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org and follow us on Instagram @citizenartsedu, Facebook @citizenartsedu, Bluesky @citizenarts.bsky.social, Twitter/X @citizenartsedu, Threads @citizenartsedu
-We are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. Visit https://www.citizenarts.org/podcasts to access our growing selection of civics-related and historically significant programs. These include:
Hungary’s Cautionary Tale - How Autocrats Broke Democracy; MARCH, an audio drama based on an historically documented moment of Hitler’s rise to dictatorial power; and Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia
-CITIZENARTS podcasts are presented courtesy of gabbegroup Productions. Copyright © gabbegroup Productions

Mention of the word “sheriff” may conjure up iconic names of fabled lawmen like Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok and Pat Garrett. But the role of a sheriff actually dates back to 700 AD in England and came to the US with the early colonists. Today, more than 3,000 sheriffs serve in 47 states (Dare we say, who knew?)

In this episode of IN THEIR WORDS: What public officials do for us, we are honored to be joined by Greg Champagne, Sheriff of St. Charles Parish, LA and president of the National Sheriffs' Association.

Sheriff Champagne oversees a force of over 375 officers with far-reaching responsibilities encompassing all dimensions of public safety. The people are his constituents – and they speak with their ballots, re-electing him to his eighth term, with the last four uncontested.

Sheriff Champagne shares how the 21st century sheriff’s officers undergo state-of-the-art training to confront challenges never imagined even 20 years ago – continually adapting modern methods to meet daily demands. Officers, for example, are now equipped with virtual reality glasses enabling them to “see” what a person in crisis is experiencing, whether due to a developmental condition, mental health issues or drugs/alcohol. This has helped create better real-time understanding to defuse potentially combustible situations.

If he could change anything, Sheriff Champagne would “reset the biases and fixed opinions against law enforcement.” He urges “open-mindedness as the truth will come out.”

Oh, and he plays a mean trumpet, too – though not as often as his time in a college marching band. Still, he jams occasionally on stage and is honored to play “Taps” at military funerals as part of Bugles Across America.

Join us to learn more about this oldest continuing non-military law enforcement profession in the US. Hopefully it’ll give you new appreciation to "Support Your Local Sheriff!"

Episode Notes:
-More about this episode and the IN THEIR WORDS podcast series can be found at https://www.citizenartscreative.org/intheirwords
-Sheriff Greg Champagne's full bio: https://www.stcharlessheriff.org/258/Sheriff-Greg-Champagne
-More about the National Sheriffs' Association: https://www.sheriffs.org
-Music credit: Frederic Chopin, Waltz in B minor. Music by Nesrality from Pixabay
-CITIZENARTS essential mission is to foster greater understanding of civic issues. We'd love to hear from you about this topic! Email jeff.lewis@citizenartscreative.org and follow us on Instagram @citizenartsedu, Facebook @citizenartsedu, Twitter/X @citizenartsedu, Threads @citizenartsedu
-We are a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. Visit https://www.citizenartscreative.org/podcasts to access our growing selection of civics-related and historically significant programs. These include Hungary’s Cautionary Tale - How Autocrats Broke Democracy; MARCH, an audio drama based on an historically documented moment of Hitler’s rise to dictatorial power; and Liberty vs. Tyranny: Czech Views on Ukraine, Freedom and Democracy Shaped by Strife with Russia
-CITIZENARTS podcasts are presented courtesy of gabbegroup Productions. Copyright © gabbegroup Productions