Dear editor: Dear editor
On Aug. 5, Kansans will go to the polls for an important primary election. Yes, the widely publicized state elections are crucial to the state. But there is one election that is critical for all Kansas school children who attend our schools now or who will attend in the future.
The State Board of Education race once again is important to our children’s education and to the future of Kansas. Because I have served as your representative for District 9 in southeast Kansas for the past eight years, I am well aware of the challenging decisions ahead for the Kansas Board of Education.
I am supporting Jim Porter from Fredonia and I believe that he is an excellent candidate. He has spent a lifetime in public school work. He has taught students in elementary through high school, he has taught in teacher and administrator preparation programs, and he has worked as a school superintendent for many years. Jim understands educational issues and he has experience working with boards, with community groups, with teachers and with students. He has a strong record of advocating for kids. His philosophy is simple: to provide to all students the best education that Kansans can afford.
Mr. Porter knows schools because of his continued involvement, but he also understands the challenges facing our communities in southeast Kansas. He is current chair of the Fredonia Regional Hospital Board and has been active in economic development efforts in his community. He will be a constant presence in southeast Kansas, listening to teachers, to parents, to students, and to anyone else who wishes to talk to him.
At this critical time in Kansas education, we need more people like Jim Porter — people who care about children, about school districts, about their communities and about the welfare of all Kansas.
A vote for Jim Porter is a vote for knowledge, honesty and leadership.
Jana Shaver,
Independence, Kan.
(Editor’s note: Jana Shaver has served on the State Board of Education since 2007, and is not seeking re-election this year.)
Contrast
During my political career I have supported many good candidates, from U.S. Sen. Bob Dole to Gov. Bill Graves. Each time I carefully weighed their platform, character, and most of all, their determination to do the right thing. District House 9 race between Chad VanHouden and Mr. (Kent) Thompson is no different. It is all about their values, and what you, the voter, want your district to stand for.
Chad VanHouden stands for keeping our state spending in check so our families will have more money in their budgets. Making teachers and education system priority No. 1 so our area can produce the workforce we need for our businesses. Keeping our hospitals open and protecting them from costly government mandates. Chad will preserve traditional Kansas values and always protects the unborn.
Chad VanHouden has always been pro-life, not because it was politically correct, but it is the right thing to stand for. He has always been a person of high moral standard, worked within our communities to make them better, has always been humble, has always reached out to those that have challenges, but most of all, has always spoke the truth even when it was not the popular thing to do.
These are some of the same characteristics I have seen in great leaders and that is why I will be casting my vote for Chad VanHouden. This is what I want our District 9 to stand for and hope you will feel the same on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Mary Alice Lair,
Chanute, Kan.
Letters to the editor
