In a democracy, all elected officials are charged with representing their constituents with integrity. My observation: The closer an individual adheres to party ideology, the less likely they are to represent all. Our current BOE has made it clear that they are against Democrats, even stating in a BOE meeting that they are against an organization “because they support Democrat candidates.” The BOE replaced both resigned members with leaders from our Teller County Republican Central Committee.

As a Republican, I appreciate local party leadership. Yet politics do not have a place on the WPSD BOE. Ideological superiority makes compromise and genuine, agendaless service of the people impossible. They assume precedence over children, at the expense of children, yet in the name of children.

Good leadership on any Board of Education requires an awareness on local issues and strong commitment to the success of all district schools and students. Merit Academy is on good footing and has its own parent-elected board. We must focus on the hemorrhaging needs of remaining district schools. We need leaders who invested in the district schools not just for political gain, but as parents with skin in the game. We need to bring a balance of thought back to the board of education.

Moral citizenship alone does