Somebody's Got to Do It...

As of Friday, as far as I know, no one had taken out a petition to run for the three seats opening up on the Madison Central School Board. With the deadline looming -- petitions have to be in to the school district business office by Friday, Feb. 29, 5 p.m. -- that's not a good sign. Our school board has had a hard time rustling up candidates recently. We haven't had a contested school board election since 2005. Only two citizens filed petitions for three openings last year. Four years ago they also lost a member mid term. In both instances, the board had to appoint someone to fill the slots (Gwen Thompson last summer, David Zolnowsky before that).

Thomson and Zolnowsky have both served ably, but it's not a healthy democratic trend when a governing board gets to pick its own members. In that spirit, I've taken out a petition for a school board seat. I've laid out my qualifications before: career in education, tech knowledge, firm belief in open government, and straight talk. My work on the Lake Herman Sanitary District has demonstrated my commitment to doing things by the book, keeping the public informed, and listening to people.

Most importantly, while I have spoken up on a number of issues concerning the school district -- laptop computers, gyms and theaters, opt-outs, trimester scheduling -- I'm not applying for the job to grind on one or two pet issues. Serving on the school board isn't about any single issue: it's about working to do right by the students and the teachers, to ensure that they have the resources they need to make education happen. I think I have a broad enough vision of education to do that job.

If you agree (and if you're a registered voter in the Madison Central School District), give me a shout, and I'll bring my petition by for you to sign. If you disagree, well, you have until Friday to take out a petition of your own. As my readers know, I welcome competition. More voices, more discussion, more democracy! Let's see some more candidates!