School Board Elections: What Is the Subject of the Big Picture?

This is my favorite time of year – those first sweet weeks of school when everything is new and different and exciting.  I can remember taking a deep breath my first day of sixth grade as I stepped into the halls of my middle school, the slam of lockers a percussive serenade, an ode to education.

In the fall, schools have a particular scent, as if they are shaking off a slumbering summer with a touch of floor polish, new sneakers, and fresh poster paint.  The buildings burst with life, the students a kaleidoscope of joy as they greet their friends and exchange fish tales and amusement park stories and show off prizes from the state fair.

My own children skipped merrily into their classrooms, eager to discover who was in their classes.  They beamed as they recognized their names on the wall and on their cubbies.  Their supple young minds reach for fresh-picked knowledge, delighting in math and reading and music and art.  Perhaps they are tired of the droning of cicada August, perhaps they are rejuvenated after a summer of t-ball and swimming lessons and ballet camp.  It could just be that they have grown out of the vacation of summer and are thirsty for daily interaction with their peers.

As a parent, the return to school has come to have other meanings.  I snap a picture of each child crossing the threshold of our front door, stepping into a new grade.  I am wistful as they shed another year of childhood and optimistic that they, too, will inhale deeply as they crack the spine of a new textbook, drawing in the glossy pages filled with information as it marches across the pages.  I dread the moment that they come home from school wounded from a slight from a friend.  I stuff my backpack full of good advice, reminders to use manners, band-aids, and extra hugs all of which can be easily accessed when needed.

I volunteer in their classrooms, throwing parties and chaperoning field trips.  I join the parents and teachers group (and hope to remember when meetings are this year).  I ask my kids about what they learned and who they played with at recess and if they behaved themselves and used their manners.  I do my best to stay on top of what is happening in our small familial world.

But that isn't enough.

We, as parents, need to direct our children's education and our best representatives in that aspect are our school board members.  While we are working on the small side of education, they are entrusted with keeping the bigger picture in mind, drawing the outline that our teachers and administrators color in with their experience.  Our school districts must support the values of our communities – and it is our job as voters to ensure that they hear those values.

I have a personal philosophy regarding elections: if you are an eligible voter and you choose not to vote, you really don't get the right to complain about the job that our elected officials are doing, simply because you had the chance to give your opinion with your vote and you did not take it.  Honestly, I couldn’t care less how you vote, just that you do vote if you are eligible. 

What are the issues at stake?  They vary from constituent to constituent.  Some consider classroom size as most important.  Some have concerns about curriculum or budget cuts or hiring processes.  Others value transparency.  Or they might simply have grown tired of the status quo and see voting as a mandate for a new direction. 

Take the time to learn about your candidates – attend forums, read interviews, and seek out answers to the questions you have.  It goes without saying that the people running for school boards should have a vision of what they think is best for your school district, but which one most closely aligns with your vision for your children's education?  The school board draws the lines in the picture, and the teachers and administrators paint in the colors, but the subject of that picture is for the community to decide; please help your community in this effort by voting in your school board elections on Tuesday, September 13.