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The volume of volunteers needed to run many programs in schools is tremendous. Teachers need help in classrooms, but many larger-scale initiatives are driven by additional volunteers, boards, committees, etc.
Public servants like Robert Ragland, MOCAS Line Item Schedule and Shipment Records (LISSR) financial accounting technician AP-entitlements, have worn all those hats and more.
Ragland and his wife Sheila began their volunteer and public service careers together. Ragland came to DFAS in 1989 and he's been volunteering since 1995.
"When my son, Robert Jr., was in elementary school at West Franklin, I started helping out with fundraisers like Market Day," Ragland said. "Then I helped as an elementary school playground beautification volunteer and eventually served as our PTA treasurer."
Ragland explained why he decided to volunteer, "I wanted to be close to my son, to share experiences and make amazing things happen for them at school." Like a lot of parents and family members, Ragland continued to dedicate time to the schools so he could be near his child and make improvements for his school, but he also began to venture out and expand his reach a little further.
Ragland next served as treasurer for the Southwestern City School District (SWCSD) council of PTAs. Also, at the district level, he served as a parent representative for the site steering committee at the elementary, intermediate and high school levels.
"Working for the district at this level, with over 22,000 students and their families, is another level of need and service," Ragland said. He explained that he wasn't just looking at his son's school, but a whole network of schools, families and their needs.
In addition to holding offices, which are regularly recurring and cyclical, Ragland also served on many committees in his tenure
Ragland served as a parent representative for the Ohio Department of Education and on the Ohio graduation test committee. He's been a member of the reading, writing and math content, fairness and equity committee, served as the PTA Reflections chairman at the local unit and district council levels, and volunteered on the Southwestern city schools Community Advisory Group (CAG) and for SWCSD operating and bond levies, for over 20 plus years.
"Committees also give me an opportunity to look at different categories of things like the arts. I like reading, looking, and listening to the submissions that Reflections gets," Ragland said. "I also encourage kids to participate every year. That program carries weight on college applications as well as cash rewards and trips."
At the state level, Ragland has served as the assistant director of education and assistant director of diversity and inclusion for the Ohio PTA. He would also spend time as the chairman of the National PTA Men Organized to Raise Engagement.
At the state level, Ragland has served as the assistant director of education and assistant director of diversity and inclusion for the Ohio PTA. He would also spend time as the chairman of the National PTA Men Organized to Raise Engagement.
His son decided to pursue music and Ragland wasn't above getting his hands dirty. Ragland worked directly alongside him as a Franklin Heights High School band booster pit crew member and pit crew chief.
"I remember the kids receiving a one rating at state competition, that's a perfect ending to the marching season," Ragland said. "My favorite routine was the Duke Ellington version of the Nutcracker."
Today, Ragland continues to be involved with a laundry list of public service organizations, committees and boards.
◦Ragland was recently elected school board president in 2020.
◦He is currently serving on the Ohio School Board Association (OSBA) central region committee and is also on the board of trustees.
◦This is his second year volunteering for the Gentlemen in Training program.
Ragland volunteered 15-20 hours a week since beginning his public service career in 1995. Ragland continued to put in the hours even after his diagnosis and treatment of follicular lymphoma, stage three. The treatment was successful and he's been in remission since 2003.
Ragland has no plans of slowing down his commitment to public service, "My future ambitions are to be a public school advocate as long as I can make a positive difference in promoting and ensuring the education health, welfare and safety of all our children."
"Walt Disney said it best, 'Our greatest resources are the minds and imaginations of our children.'" Ragland said. "I truly believe to maintain a great society it takes a village to prepare today's achievers to become positive tomorrows adults."
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2020 10:28 |
| Story ID: | 369269 |
| Location: | COLUMBUS, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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