Letter: School board candidates consider all stakeholders
As former D200 school board presidents, we collectively served the district for over 50 years. Although we each brought independent perspectives to the board and didn't always agree, our common focus was the entire D200 community: students, staff and community members without kids in the schools.
We did not bring narrow-minded agendas to the table; rather, we understood that Board work requires an open mind, an understanding that public education is complicated, and a willingness to put in the hard work to bring the best possible learning experience to the 12,000 students who attend our schools.
We held the belief that public education must provide opportunities for each child who walks through the doors of the 20 schools in our district. All children have the right to a quality education, and we are blessed in D200 with a wonderful diversity within our school community. We understood that local property taxpayers deserve fiscal responsibility. We took that financial stewardship seriously, overseeing 13 years of balanced budgets.
We believe in strong curriculums, the accountability of rigorous assessment, and recognize high-quality standards are important. We know that student achievement is not something that can be measured solely by a score from one annual test. Student success is tied to other immeasurable factors, such as the relationships students form with their peers and teachers and their involvement in activities outside the classroom.
We served through challenges and successes and saw candidates with specific agendas come and go. We endeavored to lead not with our personal opinions but with the humility of learning from our district's trained experts who would be guided by the strategy, policy, and goals we set as a board.
We feel that Dave Long, Julie Kulovits, Erik Hjerpe and John Rutledge hold similar values, will continue moving District 200 forward, and deserve your vote.
Andy Johnson, Jim Vroman,
Barb Intihar, Rosemary Swanson, Past Presidents
District 200