OLSON: Class of the classroom

Idaho voters will soon go to the polls. As far as I'm concerned, the most important vote we'll cast this year is for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Idaho schools are now facing the result of nearly $200 million in budget cuts over two years. Classrooms are over-crowded, retiring teachers aren't being replaced and Idaho is losing talented educators to communities in neighboring states, where they feel more valued.

Could this be because, for four years, we've had someone at the helm of Idaho schools who never worked in a classroom? The backgrounds of Tom Luna and Stan Olson couldn't be more different. The incumbent earned an online degree in measurement science before running for State Superintendent! Dr. Stan Olson spent 40 years as a successful teacher, coach and superintendent before making his first run for political office this year. Olson knows that children aren't just products to be spoon-fed the answers to standardized tests. Idaho's children are real people with wide-ranging talents to be developed and nurtured.

Educators and parents are eager to elect an education leader who really understands what goes on in our classrooms. For our children and grandchildren, the American dream resides in our public schools. Please join me in voting for Stan Olson on Nov. 2. He is a tireless advocate for our kids.

MARTY MEYER

Coeur d'Alene