My mother would take an instant liking to School Board Member, Mickey Furcron. He's got something she's always respected: a firm handshake. That and good manners were part of my education from an early age.

Not only is Mr. Furcron on the School Board for his fifth consecutive term, he has also been a Deacon at the Island Baptist Church since February 1994. He compares the Deacons to a Board of Directors who oversee and direct the pastor and the ministry. When I spoke to Ann Schroeder, also on the School Board, for this column she told me there was a good professional mix on the Board: business, education, law enforcement. I realize people like Ann, Mickey, other board members and elected officials also bring their faith with them into public service. I think this must give them confidence in their planning and decision making. I believe it is a respected quality of those in office.

Mickey is originally from Decatur, Georgia. His dad was in retail for twenty-five years and the family moved around a lot; Florida, Maryland. It was at Winston Churchill High School in Rockville, Maryland where he met his future wife, Lilla. They dated during high school and stayed in touch across the university years and miles. Mickey and Lilla got together again their senior year of college and were married in 1972 after graduation. They have one son, Joey, who is 21 and is studying at UTB for a career in engineering. I tell Mickey I noticed the spectacular aerial shots of the Island that line the walls of the building, the watercolor renderings of properties his company manages. And I ask him about a large, impressive color photo of a military officer in dress uniform. "That's my nephew, Jason, graduating from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He flies the biggest cargo planes the Air Force has. He just returned from a tour in Iraq."

It was Mickey's father and stepmother, Joe and Maude Furcron, who founded the business, Furcron Realtors, Inc., which Mickey owns and operates today. His parents moved here in 1978 and opened the company in 1987. This year Furcron Realtors, Inc. celebrates its 20th anniversary. The company now includes Furcron Property Management, Inc. "It's a full service company," he tells me. "Sales, rentals and property management.

Mickey has always been involved with the community. He belonged to the Rotary Club, served as Chairman of the Island Christmas Parade for three years, was a member of the original Beach and Dune Committee when it started in 1994. He's been very active with the Island Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Board of Directors, various committees and Vice-Chairman last year. Since 1992 Mickey has worked closely with the area Board of Realtors where he was President in 1997 and again this year.

"Why did you decide to run for School Board the first time?" I asked. "A lot of people asked me, 'Why don't you run?' Being here, I wanted to be involved in the community. I felt more connected to education."

"What should the community know about the School Board?" "That's a good question," he tells me. (I smile. Mickey is the first person to say that.) "Some people think they can go to a school board member with their problem and the school board member can take care of it. That's not the way it works. As a school board member we have no power at all. The superintendent is the CEO. Dr. Pineda oversees the day to day operations, making sure everything is done properly. It's not up to the school board to micromanage what she does. The biggest problem with some public officials is they want to go in and make decisions and assert authority they do not have. The perception from some of the public is, 'These are our representatives,' so the mindset is, 'If I have a problem, why can't you fix it?' We can refer problems to the superintendent. You don't just ignore them. As long as you have good people running the school district, which we do, the problem is looked into and followed up on. We have an excellent school district. Our superintendent does an outstanding job. We're really blessed to have someone of her capabilities in charge. I can't say enough good things about her. We're really excited about the district and what we're doing now. We're trying to get our scores and our ratings up."

Mickey is proudest of two things about the board. "One, the fact that the board itself is a team of eight, counting the superintendent. We've had a history of working well together, respecting each other's views, putting aside our personal agendas to always do what's best for the schools and community, and two, the passing of the last bond issue in May 2006. It's taken a year to put plans together and go out for bids. We've signed a contract for construction. While some people complain about the tax rate being so high, we have been able to keep our tax rate down even though we are a Chapter 41 ("rich") school district. There are improvements going on at all campuses. At Garriga, we're adding new classrooms, a gym, and revamping the library; at Derry the same and we're expanding and improving cafeteria and food service there and at the Jr. and Sr. High Schools. The high school is getting a new gym, too. There will be a practice gym and improvements to locker rooms." What an enormous project!

I ask Mickey about the Robin Hood Law which takes money from the "rich" school districts and shares it with the "poor". "It's our biggest challenge. In the early 90's State Legislators agreed with the Edgewood School District in San Antonio that rich school districts had an advantage. The Legislators found a need and a way to equalize it; take from the rich and give to the poor. That's the intent anyway. The State is shifting responsibility for education to the rich school districts. Whereas before, 65% of the State's budget went into education, now it's only 38%. We're a small district, 3A, and our problem is almost 60% of our money goes back to the State. We stand alone in the Valley. The State will also match every dollar earned by the poorer districts with four dollars. For example, if the Brownsville district had passed a 25 million dollar bond issue like we did, the State would match it with another 100 million. But Port Isabel doesn't qualify for that. I believe in equalization, leveling the playing field for everybody. But I don't agree with the attitude, 'Let's bring everybody down to level the playing field.' I say, let's bring everybody up."

Mickey admits he doesn't have a lot of free time, but when he does he enjoys tennis and golf. He's also a diehard football fan of the Tarpons and the Cowboys. He says it took him a long time to change over to Dallas. He was a long time Redskins fan after living on the East Coast.

Mickey was also the first to answer the last question I always ask. "Is there anything you would like to add that I might not have asked?" He reflects for a moment. "Yes. I lost my stepmother in June 2005. She was a very integral part of the business. She was a public servant and an Alderman on the Island. Then I lost my dad in February 2007. Both of them are a big loss to me. But I intend to carry on with the honesty and integrity our reputation was built on. That is something I will continue to strive for." Honesty and integrity, two more dignified qualities in our elected officials.