Across the country, school boards are being politicized and taken over by extreme conservatives waging culture wars.

The movement is fueled by anger over mask mandates and a claim that parents should “take back” our schools from the educational professionals.

There is a slate of candidates here in Durango trying to do just that. They are marketing themselves as “Building Durango’s Future,” but they aren’t being up front about their positions because they know they can’t win on them in Durango. They have been very careful not to share their opinions regarding vaccinations, mask mandates and education-related conspiracy theories, instead trying to gain votes by disparaging Durango’s school performance with lies and calls for “change.”

This group is supported by the same people who have recently disrupted school board meetings, refusing to wear masks despite the board’s stated policies. Similar slates of candidates in other counties are being coordinated by the same group. Please don’t be fooled by these candidates. Voting for them would imperil the progress our district hopes to make.

Instead, please vote for Erika Brown, Rick Petersen and Andrea Parmenter who have been endorsed by the Durango Education Association and the educational support staff association.

Brown and Parmenter are experienced board members who helped to hire the new school superintendent and were instrumental in helping to pass the 2020 school bond. Petersen has been involved with Durango youths for years and will bring his leadership skills to the board. All have children in our Durango schools.

Chris Blackshear

Durango