Many people ask what they can do to try and make a difference in everything that’s going on in the township. Many of our efforts are focused on the right now. We’re doing a great job folks, let’s keep it up.
One additional area that we need to pursue, but the outcome if positive won’t be felt for awhile, is to work on trying to get school board elections moved on the political calendar. This will be a long road, and as I said, one that we won’t necessarily feel the effects of in our current situation. However, to ensure things like this don’t happen in the future, school board elections need to have much more visibility, and not just in Perry Township, but across the state as well.
We encourage everyone to contact their state senators and representatives to voice their support for a bill that would move school board elections to the same time as primaries the general elections.Â
You should now see a little tool on the right-hand sidebar towards the bottom that lets you put in your zip code and find your local and federal officials. Hopefully that helps you out with these efforts.
The THOMAS (Library of Congress) site is a great resource as well as the Congress.org site by Capital Advantage
“…a bill that would move school board elections to the same time as primaries.”
Admin, did you intend to say “general election” which occurs in the fall?
I am in my ninth year as a school board member from a system in northern Indiana. I have no first hand knowledge of Dr. Williams or your School Board. However, I have been interested in your situation and the actions of your Board as reported by the Indianapolis Star and this website.
In my opinion it is not only school board elections that need more visibility but also the ongoing operation of the schools and system. As a retired school principal I’m well aware of the tendency for school administrators to want to put forth a positive image and downplay anything that might reflect negatively upon the operation. However, nothing is more important than for the public to have accurate, comprehensive and factual information. One cannot overemphasize the potential influence and vested authority that a school board has. I have often said, “As goes the school board, so goes the schools and system.”
With this in mind I created and administer http://www.castoncomets.org in an attempt to tell the “untold story” of my school system, i.e. to further inform and encourage interest in the schools of my community and their governance. As the home page of the site indicates I do this totally independent of my fellow board members, superintendent, and school system. As you might expect some are not enthusiastic about this endeavor.
As a board member the information I publicize is public information and from public records. Admittedly, as a board member the information may be more conveniently available to me than some, however, any community member is entitled to the same information.
I share the above as “food for thought” as you focus on your community and the education of your students. Incidentally, I taught in the MSDPT some time ago.
Jason,
I appreciate you making this known to us. Regardless of what “side” anyone is on, it is a great idea to have more individuals vote for school board. This post made it incredibly easy for me click on the link to send an email to the senator and representatives. I urge everyone to take just a few moments to complete this very painless process.
Again, thank you.
Yes Curiuos. Thank you for correcting me.
Just a reminder that there was a post earlier on this site (http://wesupportwilliams.com/news/2006/12/13/school-board-elections-should-be-in-november-by-keith-brown/)that detailed two possible ways the Perry Township school board election could be moved to the fall general election without trying to legislatively mandate this for the entire state. The article said:
“One, a resolution for such a change could be adopted by the school board and submitted to state agencies for approval. This is by far the least demanding method, and it still would provide opportunity for public input.
Two, a petition for such a change, signed by at least 20 percent of the registered voters, could be filed. This method would then require that the school board take action on the requested change.”