Editor,

I ran for South Whidbey School Board to support kids and staff in our district. When I was elected to the board, it was no contest because no one ran against me. The same is true for my successor.

In my experience serving on the board for the last 3 1/2 years, very few people show up to the regular meetings, so I can certainly understand some decisions may seem like they come out of nowhere. This is not the case.

The reality is the board serves as the varied voices of our community and decisions come from very thorough and deliberate discussions, grounded in data and aim to serve our students with the very best intentions.

Last school year was a remarkable one. Students, parents and community members came out in droves to voice their opinions and to seek understanding of why certain decisions were made.

This is healthy and good, and we’re all better off for the increased participation. Most progress in systems comes from hard conversations and much progress has been made. Many community members stepped up to become more involved in the details.

The person who kept the board focused on the priorities set at the beginning of the year is Linda Racicot. For several years, a priority was to bring back the art teacher in the lower grades. Linda was the steady force behind keeping that a priority and encouraging the board and administration to find the funding to do so. Without Linda on the board, this would not have happened.

As the district moves forward, progress is being made. Linda has been at the lead of absorbing feedback and encouraging the continuation of these changes with administration.

This is an important crossroads where continuing to move forward from last year’s feedback is vital to progress. Linda has been listening and leading.

Linda has been the leader in committing to these changes that are moving the district to a better place. Linda and I don’t always agree, but I do know that the board’s combined ideas have been born out of Linda’s ability to find common ground in a set of diverse views.

When you vote, please vote for steady change. This is important for the staff and the kids. These are people who care deeply about the welfare of our students and staff.

We definitely need to keep moving forward, and we need to do it with a board that knows the past and focuses on the future. My vote is for Linda Racicot.

Shawn Nowlin

Langley