So how to distinguish these candidates when they all have seemingly noble agendas? Refer to party recommendations? Look at affiliations and endorsements? These are actually very telling - but I'd like to be able to individually ask each candidate the "hows" and "whys" of their priorities, and also how they feel about more controversial issues such as bilingual education and school vouchers. However, this is not easy for a citizen such as myself who has two jobs, is pursuing her master's degree, and has been married for 15 months to someone who was 8,000 miles away on a Navy ship for seven of those months. There are only so many hours in the day. And yet, growing up with a family member teaching in the public school system, I know that school boards can be extremely influential and hotbeds of dispute.
Since I cannot interview the candidates myself, the city holds informational forums like debates . This is where, I imagine (I - regrettably, in hindsight - have not attended one), true colors emerge. It is through this format that you learn the differences - and the emotions involved. This is where interested voters should be looking - not websites that give a candidates' priorities, which will always sound nice and are packaged to sell, or partisan websites that give information with a spin. (A quick scan of this website may lead one to believe that Jaka and Chunka do not want to "Teach English." In reality, of course, the issue is more complex, which is explained - with a bias - when clicking appropriate links.)
I was pleased to learn that all candidates support charter schools (some conditionally), with a couple arguing further in favor of school choice. I am a product of public schools and a supporter of public schools, but when schools fail, students should not be punished with a lacking education. Nor should the rich alone have access to quality schools - parents of all income levels should be able to obtain the best possible education for their children. Obama may have been open to this idea early in his campaign, but has since tied the knot with his teachers union bedfellows. He sends his girls to an elite private school - absolutely no complaint here - so he must recognize the value of a good education and the role parents play in choosing the best option for their children.
It is my hope that, unlike Obama - but like many of his fellow democrats - the newly elected Vista school board members will value school choice as a way to improve education quality and raise the bar by providing competition. I also hope that the people of Vista care to make informed decisions about school board voting, which directly influences our city's - and our nation's - future.
