PSBA governing board president stresses parental involvement, warns of recurring budget pressures
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Sabrina Backer, PSBA's governing board president for 2026, said new board members need two years to learn their roles, urged stronger parental involvement and diverse student pathways, and warned that recurring budget shortfalls and unfunded mandates are overwhelming teachers.
Sabrina Backer, PSBA's governing board president for 2026, outlined her background and priorities in opening remarks, emphasizing parental involvement and recurring budget challenges.
Backer said she began volunteering with a PTO in Virginia Beach and later served as a PTO president after moving back to Franklin. She told listeners she was selected to fill a vacancy on her local school board in November 2014 and has served on that board since then.
"I have learned in my years in the board ... it takes you 2 years to know what you're doing," Backer said, adding that "1 year to just keep your head above water and another year to find out exactly what you have control over." She cautioned that the public overestimates how much boards can control and urged that "our board service and board stay local because no one's going to know what our students need more than our local boards."
Backer praised PSBA policy services and conference programming, saying she has attended the association's conference every year since 2015 and that the material provided is useful for implementation at the district level.
On priorities, Backer emphasized family involvement and multiple post‑graduation pathways. "Not every student is college bound. We need to let our children choose how they're going to be happy," she said, adding, "happy children are going to be successful children and successful adults."
She also raised budgetary concern as a recurring issue: "I wish I could say we wouldn't face a budget and pass, but I feel like it's going to happen every year. Unfunded mandates are huge. Our teachers are already overworked and overwhelmed," Backer said, urging collaboration among "the board, school employees, and our parents and stakeholders."
Backer closed by stressing community responsibility for student success, referencing Franklin High School and Franklin Area School District as the local setting for those priorities. She also shared personal details to establish rapport, mentioning motorcycle rides, crafting and holiday decorations.
No motions, votes or formal actions were recorded in these remarks; they were an introductory statement of background and priorities.