Keep your chins up, Board candidates; election season is almost over!
You’re probably preparing for your umpteenth candidate forum or reviewing that last campaign mailing piece. You’re getting ready to knock on yet another door or make another set of phone calls asking for a vote on Nov. 2. Perhaps your local newspaper or chamber of commerce has sent you a set of candidate questions and you’re slogging through your answers, hoping to craft an articulate and truthful response in 75 words or less.
And let’s not forget that Board candidates may also be holding down one or more “day” jobs, parenting their kids, taking care of aging parents, striving to be a good spouse, holding down the fort as a stay-at-home parent, participating in church or community activities, and in many cases doing their level best to lead their school districts during an historically difficult time. They’re fielding emails about any number of issues ranging from school lunch menus or the high school football coach’s play-calling to meatier issues like mask mandates and quarantines.
Board members and serious candidates are worried about hiring enough teachers, finding bus drivers and custodians, supporting vulnerable kids, dealing with aging buildings, grappling with technology challenges, and adopting high-quality curricula. They’re committed to building a brighter future for their communities as we continue to struggle with the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 education.
Running for office is hard in the best of times. Ideally, candidates put their names and egos on the line because they believe they can make their communities a better place to live. In the case of school board elections, one hopes for candidates who have a sincere interest in educational excellence for all kids. And in the good old days we could proudly say our school and city elections were nonpartisan.
This election cycle has been an unusually tough one, though. The races are still nonpartisan on their face, but we’ve all noticed a sometimes-startling level of involvement by the political parties in recruiting and supporting local candidates. And sadly, I think most of us will agree political meddling hasn’t improved the tone of this year’s school and city elections.
All of that being said, we’re in the home stretch now. Candidates are polishing their final appeals as advance voting begins statewide, by mail or in person. And don’t forget the traditional option of voting in person on Election Day, Nov. 2. Voters can view a sample ballot and check their registration status, polling place, and status of a mail-in ballot at this site: https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview.
Candidates, I wish you the best as you head to the finish line. Thank you for running.
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