Get involved in local elections

Dear editor,

Your editorial and the article on the condition of our school district was very informational and a surprise to learn about all the things that are going on regarding education in our community.

While I realize that everyone is busy trying to work, raise a family, etc. etc. I think this is a "wake up call" that we need to become more informed of what is going on and learn how we can be part of the solution, not part of the problem by our lack of knowledge of the facts.

In fact this is the perfect time that we can start showing that we care and want the very best for all the children and grandchildren of this community.

There is an election coming up in May for three positions on the School board. Let us have a "real" election this time. By that I mean a large pool of candidates who care about and have some outstanding ideas and experiences for these positions.

We could have candidate forums so these candidates can actually tell us what ideas and experiences they might be able to bring to the Board.

Having lived in Mountain Home for 49 years, I have seen past school board elections where only the incumbents ran for the open positions and some elections had a low of 50 votes cast. This has not looked like we really cared about our schools.

Besides the education issues think of the economic issues here with that many families not living here because of our schools. How can we expect to try and get more businesses to come to our community if our schools are not seen as the very best in the area. We have done it before and we can do it again.

I challenge all of us to get involved. This year, Zones 1-3-5 are up for the Trustee positions. If you live in one of these zones I encourage you to obtain a candidate packet from the School District office or the County Elections Clerk. Completed packets must be turned in to the District office during the period of March 9th thru March 20th. The election for these positions will be held on May 19, 2015.

If you are unsure of your Zone and cannot tell from the map on the School District Zone map, call the School District office or the County Elections Clerk.

Let us show everyone we care about our most treasured citizens, the children of our community.

-- Connie Cruser