When school board candidates first started campaigning for the board, I was on the fence about the newcomers Kristine Paslay, Richard “Dean” Hill and Donna Gulec.
Since then, I have had the chance to visit with them several times. Two times at their meet-the-candidates events in Durango. It is encouraging how they speak openly about their goals of raising student test scores, being financially transparent and accountable, and increasing funding for special ed and vocational programs that have been suffering. Focus on the fundamentals right?
At the League of Women Voters forum, I heard each candidate speak about the COVID-19 restrictions in school. They all said basically the same thing that they were pro student safety. The only candidate to expand on that was Paslay when she said she supported parental choice. It’s almost as if she is willing to trust parents when it comes to the safety of their kids. That was so important.
I wonder why the other candidates are so against parental choice they haven’t mentioned it once. When did that become a bad thing. This reaffirms my choice to vote for Gulec, Paslay and Hill for school board. It’s not complicated.
Jason Mietchen
Durango
