Trustees you can trust
Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene patrons are fortunate in that the people running for their respective school boards are all dedicated, smart people with a strong desire to improve two good school districts.
Serving on a school board doesn't win a person many popularity contests. It doesn't pay anything, either. In fact, between the time consumed by intense studying and multitudinous meetings and the expense from possible lost wages, school board members usually pay for the privilege of serving. Because their impact is so profound on our children and our communities, we have concluded that no elected office holder is more deserving of praise and respect than volunteer school district trustees.
The Press isn't going to endorse any individuals this election season, but we are going to state what we think are several strengths and attributes that candidates should bring to the job. We encourage readers to weigh these positives against what they value.
• The combination of skill and determination in tackling complex budgets. In several ways, school districts are like corporations. There are many hundreds of employees, unions to deal with and many millions of dollars to account for. There's an additional level of fiduciary responsibility that transcends "customers" and "shareholders": School board trustees are accountable to every taxpayer in the district.
Making the job even tougher is the new educational landscape brought on by Students Come First. The ability - and willingness - to scrutinize budgets and ask tough questions is essential.
• The unwavering commitment not to do the bidding of special interest groups. Students, parents, employees and taxpayers are all important constituents whose needs must constantly be assessed and addressed. The best candidates will listen to all voices. That doesn't mean the best candidates will do what the loudest voices demand.
• As is true with any manager, a primary attribute is hiring the best possible people, providing them the tools they need to do their jobs, and then holding them accountable. If trustees agree that their teachers are the best people for the job, let the teachers determine what books should be read and what coursework assigned, and back them up completely.
These are exciting and demanding times in public education, perhaps like no other in modern history. It's up to you to select school board trustees wisely, and we encourage you to do just that on May 17.