Liaison officer promotes military child education

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jessica McConnell
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Air Force Global Strike Command's Minot Air Force Base recently acquired a new school liaison officer here, to support school age children and their parents with their educational transitioning process.

Matthew Balas, 5th Mission Support Group school liaison officer, is here to establish partnerships between base leadership and local school administrators, advocating for the needs of military children, and increasing the awareness of the unique needs of military children.

"I am responsible for the coordination and delivery of the Exceptional Family Member Program services in conjunction with all its other components," said Mr. Balas.

He said he applied for the position because he felt equipped with the skills necessary to be successful in this position.

"By spending almost ten years active duty in the Air Force and working the last six years in different capacities with students, parents, teachers, and school administrators, I really feel that this position is a perfect fit for me," he said. "I welcome new challenges, including making sure military children are afforded equal educational opportunities and providing parents with the necessary resources for their children to be successful in school."

Mr. Balas said he is still very busy learning the different aspects of this position, but said he plans on implementing a few new ideas here at Minot.

"I just finished the first edition of a monthly SLO newsletter," he said. "The purpose of the newsletter is to convey important information to parents."

"I am also working on a website that will not only contain archived monthly newsletters, but also more useful information for parents like links to local schools, information on the Interstate Compact for Educational Opportunities for Military Children, and links to valuable websites directly related to military child education."

He said he is eager to make sure parents know he is here to assist with any education related issue.

"Whether it is answering questions regarding homeschooling, public schools, or private schools, I am prepared to help in any way that I can," he said. "If I can't resolve the issue, I can provide additional resources for parents to reach a resolution."

Kevin Nelson, 5th Mission Support Group deputy director for installation support, said Mr. Balas has a unique set of credentials for this position, and is a good fill for such an important job.

"The school liaison officer is very important to families assigned to the base," said Mr. Nelson. "Having a single point of contact for issues from registering in school, to transferring credits from the last school or schools attended, eases the sometimes difficult transition when moving or leaving here. It is also important for the local school system to have a knowledgeable point of contact to resolve any conflicts and publicize announcements as the need arises."

Mr. Balas said every Air Force base has been directed to hire a civilian school liaison officer because military child education is a chief of staff reportable quality of life initiative.

"Throughout different plans, there are still significant gaps related to the advocating for transitioning military families and other educational related services," he said. "Identification of these gaps led the chief of staff of the Air Force to direct the establishment of civilian school liaison officers at bases, ensuring targeted, professional support at all Air Force installations."

Mr. Balas hopes to accomplish much during his time as school liaison officer.

"First, military child education and the EFMP aren't new programs to this base," he said. "These are both programs that have long been established and I hope to provide some experience and continuity to both of these programs to make them even more successful."

"I also hope to develop long-lasting relationships and partnerships with other military child education stakeholders that will assist in streamlining processes and procedures that will in turn create a positive learning experience for military-connected students," Mr. Balas said.

For those seeking assistance from the school liaison officer, they may visit him at his office at the Airman and Family Readiness Center, or call 723-1447.