Volunteering, service innate for board member Bartlett

Ranae Bartlett serves on the Madison Board of Education. (CONTRIBUTED)

Note: This article is first in a series for Madison Board of Education members.

MADISON – Ranae Bartlett takes great pride when residents say they moved to Madison “because of the schools.” She serves on the Madison Board of Education.

A board member since June 2011, Bartlett always has volunteered at her son’s school, Rainbow Elementary, and with its PTA. She was spokesperson for the Blue Ribbon Committee that reviewed the need for a second high school and on committees for capital planning, policy, alternative schedule and accreditation, among others.

She applied for the board to use her skills “and background to serve our school system in another capacity and an opportunity to further advocate for public education.”

At the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Bartlett earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in mathematics and political science and juris doctor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

With the board, Bartlett is busiest in August as school starts, May with graduations and end-of-school events and during legislature sessions. “It’s a year-round job. We don’t take off in the summers!” she said.

Board members set policy and strategic direction, oversee financials and hire and terminate employees. With the School Board Governance Act, they are required to participate in annual training.

Madison City Schools is young at 15 years, yet “many parents, teachers, administrators and students worked very hard and had high expectations to build a school system with the reputation of Madison City Schools,” Bartlett said.

Ranae Bartlett gets a report from the Rainbow Chess team at the SuperNational Chess Tournament. (CONTRIBUTED)

Her family moved to Madison in 2003 from Northwest Arkansas, where she worked as an assistant general counsel for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Her husband Todd P. Guthrie works as general counsel and secretary for Intergraph Government Solutions. Their son Michael Guthrie, 11, will enter sixth grade at Rainbow.

Bartlett’s impressive volunteering resume includes Grace United Methodist Church, Junior League of Huntsville, Relay for Life, Leadership Huntsville/Madison County and Girl Scouts. At Rainbow, she has served as chess club coach, book fair chairperson, ‘room mom,’ library volunteer and nominating committee member.