Union County Board of Education member Gary Sides was recently selected by the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) to serve a two-year term on the association’s Legislative Committee.

Sides, who will serve as an “at-large” school board member, will join a subset of the NCSBA Board of Directors, eight education district presidents as well as seven “at-large” local school board members also nominated by their local boards and selected by the NCSBA President.

The Committee will be tasked with developing a draft legislative agenda for NCSBA for consideration and adoption by the Delegate Assembly. The Committee will also review ongoing legislative activity and provide guidance to the Board of Directors on legislative matters.

Although a survey drafted by the committee will ultimately drive the legislative agenda, Sides said he is personally interested in addressing teacher pay and simplifying the existing pupil funding formula.

Sides also said he is excited to represent the Union County Board of Education as well as board members, staff and educators from all of the counties included in NCSBA’s southwest region. This region includes Anson, Cabarrus, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell-Statesville, Kannapolis, Lincoln, Mooresville, Rowan-Salisbury, Stanly and Union counties.

“I’m looking forward to being able to bring the concerns of school boards, staff and employees in our area into a concrete action plan that we can bring to our elected officials,” Sides said.

For more information about the North Carolina School Boards Association, visit ncsba.org.