One of the toughest jobs in a community is that of a schoolboard member. It is a sometimes-thankless job that is arguably themost important public service job in a community – the education ofour children.

School board members spend countless hours attending boardmeetings and conferences to keep up with educational issues. Theyare charged with making tough decisions that are sometimesunpopular with friends and neighbors.

It takes a dedicated individual to serve. It is a totallyvolunteer job with only personal expenses covered by the schoolsystem. A school board member’s compensation is their interest ingiving back to the community.

Dr. Prentiss L. Smith retired this week after 10 1/2 years onthe board of the Brookhaven School District. With a full-timemedical practice, Dr. Smith went above and beyond the call of dutyand gave an extraordinary amount of personal time to thecommunity.

During his tenure, the progress of the school system has beenremarkable. His dedication and leadership to do “what was best forthe kids” have helped guide the Brookhaven schools through sometough times and set the system up for the success our schoolsenjoys today.

Over the years, we have written that the secret to thiscommunity’s success is the willingness of so many of our citizensto offer their services to build a better Brookhaven and LincolnCounty. Dr. Smith’s service is an example of that willingness, andhis efforts can be seen on the faces of the kids.

Dr. Smith’s retirement leaves some big shoes to fill on theboard, but he also leaves a strong foundation for the system tobecome even better.