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Dear Editor:
I am a son of a teacher and parent with children in our Carmel Clay Schools. I believe in “One Team” and “diversity of thought.”
There are two slates of candidates running together. Each slate agreed to run on a particular platform.
School board campaigns used to be non-partisan. These campaigns used to be about individual leaders who wanted to serve their community. Voters would research the candidates and look for open-minded leaders who accept that there are infinite ways to think about ideas and problems. You know: “diversity of thought.”
Diversity of thought is the concept that there is more than one way to think about something. Our Superintendent and his leadership team need board members with unique perspectives and approaches to solving problems, which will challenge them to think more broadly.
Should we elect a slate of candidates from a political action committee that will “support ccs” to a fault? Or elect a slate of candidates that see a “fault” in everything our school is doing? Enrolling is falling – nothing to see here. The name-calling and labeling – nothing to see here. The lack of civility and decorum. The lack of transparency about how many fewer teachers are in our district this year – nothing to see here.
“One Team” does not mean “one thought.” I am running an independent campaign to keep the focus on educating our children in an ever-changing world and our powerful “Together we achieve” mission.
Our school community should not be forced to endure another four years of partisan bickering. If we want our students and teachers to succeed, we should elect school candidates like myself who are deep in thought every day about the opportunities and challenges our school community face.
Sheldon Barnes
Carmel