A new year brings new beginnings, and so it is for the Issaquah School District.

At their Dec. 10 meeting, the Issaquah School Board elected member Brian Deagle to serve as board president for 2009.

Deagle, a senior attorney at Microsoft, has been a member of the school board for two years and a Sammamish resident for about 15.

He and his wife have two daughters attending Pine Lake Middle School.

Board members vote at the end of every year to determine who will serve as the new president.

Generally, members serve only one term, but Deagle’s predecessor, Jan Woldseth, served two terms to provide consistency while the district introduced a new superintendent.

Deagle said he forsees serving only one term, and expects the board will return to that process now.

The role of school board president isn’t vastly different than that of the other members, Deagle said, but it does mean serving as spokesperson for the board.

If the board speaks to an issue as a whole, takes a stance on a subject, or fields questions as a whole, then the president is often the go-to person.

The board president also runs meetings, and meets with Issaquah School District Superintendent Steve Rasumussen beforehand to set an agenda.

Deagle said that all members are welcome to introduce an item to the agenda, though.

As new board president, Deagle wants to continue the work the board has been doing toward meeting the ‘Ends for Students’, which are “areas of knowledge and skill that all students must master by graduation to successfully live and compete in today’s dynamic global environment.”

Deagle’s inspiration for running for school board and accepting the role of president is pretty simple, in the end.

“What it comes down to…” he said. “I want to help ensure we have excellent, high-quality public schools.”

Other important goals are to close the achievement gap and acquire a 100 percent graduation rate.

Deagle said he never imagined himself serving on a school board, but his interest in school policies was piqued during the 2002 teacher strike, and shortly after when the Issaquah School District boundaries were re-drawn.

“I realized that if I wanted to make a difference, I had to be involved,” he said. “I can’t just be jumping up when an issue that interests me comes along.”