Letter to the Editor

By: Ellen Kesterson

As many people know, I was thrown into the presidency of the school board at Southern Boone during some challenging times for our district. The board was faced with many tough issues to resolve as well as a significant degree of distrust within the community and with parents of children in our schools. The board, at that time, worked tirelessly to enlist the help of a neutral panel of evaluators, listen to concerns from the community, do some honest self-evaluation, and make some very difficult decisions. We did this as a group of elected officials who never lost sight of the reason we were elected – to ensure that every child in southern Boone County was given the opportunity to get a quality education with the best administration and teachers around. To say it was easy or that we always agreed would be incorrect; however, we talked through our differences and came to consensus on the best way to move forward. Since I no longer have a child in the school district, I’m not as engaged as I once was. Reading the few things I have about the current situation has made me reflect on the hard work of a school board and the importance that is placed on serving all constituents as fairly as possible. A “one issue” board member or a “one constituency” board member is undesirable. The board can disagree and have different opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s guiding principle should be excellence for all students. Anything less is unacceptable. Sincerely, Ellen Kesterson