Letter to the Editor: Jason Lewis Has My Vote for Iowa City School Board

Want to post your own Letter to the Editor for a candidate? Just visit our boards, login, and post your opinion to the "Opinion" or "Iowa City Schools Information and Discussion Board" forums. You can also post it to a blog on site or you can e-mail me at stephen.schmidt@patch.com

Letter to the Editor: Jason Lewis Has My Vote for Iowa City School Board

Facts change. New information comes along at every turn. What we once thought we knew is turned on its head in a matter of a few short years. Up is down, black is white, yes is no. 

In a school district like ours, with its combination of explosive enrollment growth and a rapid evolution of our learning models and targets, so much changes in a short period of time. The challenges we face one year will not be the same challenges we struggle with next year. It's not just the problems that will be in flux, but even the information and expertise that feed those decisions.

When it comes down to it, the one thing we can trust in choosing a candidate for school board is that person's values. We elect the people we feel have a firm grasp on our community's educational values, who have their priorities in the right order, and who have an unshakeable commitment to hearing multiple perspectives and seeking the common ground among them, to best serve the interests of all of our students. The issues of the day will come and go, but what remains constant is a broader vision of governance and leadership that will keep us firmly pointed toward making a positive and meaningful difference in our children's lives. 

For me, that candidate is Jason T. Lewis. I've spent enough time with Jason to know that he values the things we need as a district.  Honesty. Candor.  Everyone getting a fair shake. A respect for creativity and an ability to recognize important insights.  Faith in valid scientific research.  The importance of communication and clarity of expression, particularly in the adult conversations that shape our children’s future.  A firm commitment to listening to and understanding viewpoints other than his own.

He’s got my vote.

Dan Shaw,
Iowa City