Letter to the editor: School board races should be about kids more than taxes

For the past few weeks, letters to the editor have been printed supporting people seeking election or re-election to a local governance role. Candidate interviews have been reprinted for voters to glean insight into what the person is offering running for an elected position.

I'm interested in the school board elections, specifically, Glen Ellyn District 41. An elected school board member is not assigned specific constituents, they are nonpartisan following a code of conduct, which includes committing to serve all constituents not one particular group.

As a retiring District 41 board of education member of 12 years, I am surprised by the lack of focus on one constituent group - the children; D41 students.

The conversation is focused on tax cuts, levy reductions and "maintaining" programs. Critical to a board member's annual decision on district funding is to balance taxpayer interests with setting the vision for the district leadership to deliver high-quality curriculum and programs for the children of families in our community to prepare students for tomorrow. Isn't that what any community member expects from the school system when they had their own children attending?

Saying that student programs have been maintained is not what a vibrant educational system in 2019 should have as an outcome; one that drifts toward mediocrity. It doesn't take long for a school system's students to lose traction to improve academic performance or to increase their critical thinking skills if maintaining programs is OK or by default becomes an objective.

Over my 12 years I have seen a shift among some community members viewing public education as a tax instead of an investment, which brings me to my question: Where is the conversation about children?

Erica Nelson

Wheaton