K-M school board races are important

To the Editor:

As election day draws near most of us have been focused on many of the higher ticket races but one race in particular stands out to me. That is the K-M School board race. Having three children who are the fourth generation of our family to attend K-M we know the value of an education from our great schools. 

The education that they receive is a team effort. Teams have many distinct roles just as our school has many distinct roles. Teams have coaches, managers, players, fitness trainers, etc. Our school team has the board, administration, teachers, secretarial, janitorial, transportation, etc.  All of these roles must work in concert with each other for success but intermingling their roles will not help that cause, just as players acting as coaches does not work. 

Our school board has many responsibilities, their number one priority is fiduciary to the taxpayer.  That responsibility is to oversee the levy and expenditure of tax dollars in a responsible way bringing maximum value to the taxpayer. When they are hiring a superintendent, principal, or negotiating with the teacher’s union they must have the taxpayer in mind first, but that is not a bad thing, because the taxpayer wants the most education value per dollar possible. 

This means that by looking out for the taxpayer they are at the same time looking out for our children’s education. 

So, what does this mean and why write this letter? I am writing this letter because we have three teacher union endorsed candidates on the ballot. Let me be clear I do not like the idea of a teacher union endorsing anyone, but they do have that right and I can accept that. 

However, should those candidates also be spouses of teachers, will they go into union negotiations with a completely objective mind, will they be able to handle personnel issues in an unbiased fashion since they likely know that person? There needs to be clear lines of delineation between these roles especially now. 

Our current board has navigated us successfully through some very difficult times and in the next few years will likely be hiring school administration and negotiating a union contract. How would a school board even function with one current board member who has to abstain along with potentially three others during that negotiation? 

When I vote for candidates I expect them to be there for the critical decisions, the potential of having more than half our school board unable to vote on a union contract is unacceptable to me as a taxpayer.

I support Mark Torkelson, Angie Richards, Patrick Madery and Dylan Soberg for the K-M School Board.

Mike Marti

Kasson