By Camae Blackburn

Monroe

To the Editor:

A school board member best serves the community by prioritizing the needs and interests of the students. We can achieve this by a willingness to listen and learn from each other. And this is what I plan to do if I am elected to our school board. 

There is a misconception that we can either choose to support our teachers or we can support the idea of parent involvement in education. But these are not opposing values. In fact, when parents encourage a learning environment in the home, when parents and teachers have open communication between them, when parents help support educators and educators help support parents, our students thrive beyond measure. The number one indicator of student success is parent engagement in their child’s education. Uniting parents and teachers together gives our children the best opportunity to be successful, both academically and personally.

When any group of people feel their concerns are being dismissed, it creates a division within our community. In the last two years, we have seen this in our community and in our public schools. We need to be able to put our differences aside and come together. We need to have discussions where we truly listen to one another. Our students deserve this, and they deserve us to do better. I believe that Jared Hitchins, Kevin Visel and I are the three best candidates who are willing to listen. 

Jared, Kevin and I are parents who simply want what is best for all the children in our community. This starts with great leadership on the school board. Leadership that will listen and learn from the members of this community. I will not pretend to have all the answers, but I can promise to listen and do my best to represent each and every one of you. We appreciate your vote on April 5th to bring unity back to our community.