Chip Braker has spent most of his life helping to shape Forreston students, first with a baton in his hand as the district’s longtime band director and now with a gavel as president of the school board. His journey from the music room to the boardroom is defined by a throughline of service: helping young people grow into capable, caring adults.

Braker taught music in the district for thirty years, starting in 1984. When he retired, he didn’t step away. “Superintendent Smith immediately threw me on our foundation board,” he says with a laugh. The experience of continuing to serve convinced him to run for the school board. Now in his third term, he feels grateful for the opportunity.

The job, he admits, has been less contentious than some of our neighboring districts. “Our community is wonderful,” Braker says. “I think they look at the big picture. They don’t always say, ‘this is my special interest and it has to be this way.’” That spirit of cooperation, he believes, is rooted in Forreston’s tight-knit fabric. “There’s a commitment for the good of the community over the good of the individual,” he explains.

As president, Braker sees the board’s role as long-range in scope. “We trust the administration to take care of the here and now. The board has to be focused on five, ten years down the road—sometimes even further.” That responsibility includes anticipating the needs of future careers and ensuring Forreston students are ready. “We’re not making widgets,” Braker says. “But we are in the production business and we do have to look at the quality of what we’re producing. Are we preparing high-quality citizens who will contribute to society?”

That preparation comes in many forms. Braker points to Forreston’s attention to career and technical education (CTE) and its efforts to “grow our own” teachers from within the community. “Why wouldn’t we want to develop a student raised here who shows an interest in education?” he asks. The strategy has worked before—he counts 19 current staff members who once sat in his own band classroom.

That band director’s lens still informs his view of education. “There’s no first string or bench in band,” he says. “Everybody has to participate if you want a quality product. It’s a great life lesson—everybody’s important, everybody has to put in effort.”

Board leadership, though, comes with practical challenges too. One of the district’s most pressing issues is recruiting and retaining bus drivers. Forreston’s wide geography and tough weather make the job especially difficult. Braker himself once took the bus driving course, only to decide, “There’s no way I can do this.” To support drivers, the board is exploring a new bus garage that would offer warm starts in the winter and secure parking. “We determined that benefits were the best way to attract and keep drivers, and this was a cost-effective benefit,” he explains.

Another need is expanded athletic facilities. The addition of sixth-grade sports has strained gym space, and the once “Cadillac” weight room from 1996 no longer meets the needs of today’s athletes. “Anything I can do to get a kid off a couch and moving, I’m jumping at that chance,” Braker says. The updates, he adds, are not about keeping up appearances but about keeping pace with how athletics and training have evolved.

For Braker, the constant thread through challenges and opportunities is the strength of the staff. “The teachers here are the most skilled, the most dedicated, the most energetic that I’ve ever come across,” he says. He credits the administrative team for assembling and supporting such a remarkable group.

Looking back, Braker says the community “scooped me up and loved me,” and that’s why he never left. Looking forward, he remains committed to decisions that benefit kids first and, by extension, strengthen the entire community. “The school is the hub,” he says. “Anything we can do to enhance it is only going to be good for everyone.