Tonight voters will get to see and hear candidates vying for contested seats on the Blaine County School District board of trustees discuss their views on the issues facing local public education.
This is rare chance for voters.
Contested races for school board seats have been a sometime thing over the years. Elections are always in May, a slow month in the Wood River Valley. Voter turnout and interest is often slim despite the fact that taxpayers support the district with more money than any other local taxing district.
At 6:30 p.m. in the old Blaine County Courthouse meeting room in Hailey, four out of five candidates for two seats will lay out their views on the quality of local education and how they would address issues facing the school district.
Members of the press and the public may ask questions of the candidates.
The school board sets policy for eight schools, and with about 160 teachers plus transportation, grounds, administration and food service employees is one of the area's largest employers.
The board's decisions affect the nearly 3,400 students enrolled in county schools and their families as well as the larger community. The board decides how to spend $50 million a year in its general fund account, the lion's share of which goes to salaries. And, since voters approved passage of a $30 million capital bond issue in 2000, it has spent $47 million building new and improved schools.
The fate of the nation depends upon quality education. Voters should take this opportunity to ensure that Blaine County provides the best.
