As the recently retired superintendent of the Blaine County School District (2009) and past president of the Idaho Administrators Association (2008), I would like to submit a letter in support of Donna Pence for continued service in the Idaho House of Representatives for District 25.
In this time of budget shortfalls and priority spending, we cannot allow education to be put on the back burner or languish in the line of shortsighted funding choices currently being made by the legislative decision matrix. We must send someone who is willing to fight for the future of our children as well as the future of our state. We must send someone who understands education and will stand up to the notion that children's futures can, and will, be sacrificed to balance the budget without even a consideration of funding enhancements, just to make voters happy.
As a retired teacher, Donna Pence has the pertinent background to help all of the schools in District 25 as she has in the past and will continue to do. She believes in a student's right to receive a complete and thorough education opportunity regardless of where he or she lives in the state. I have worked extensively with Donna and have found her to be a consistent friend of education.
Since District 25 has the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind and a multitude of rural school districts whose opportunities of online learning and technical training programs depend on legislative funding choices, please send Donna Pence to fight for our kids.
Jim Lewis
Hailey
