Editor,

Dear future school board members,

As you campaign to win the seat of school board director, I ask that you remember why you want to be on the school board. My hope is that is it for the betterment of the kids who currently attend South Whidbey Schools.

This is not a paid position and the hours are long. The issues are never as simple as they seem to be from the outside looking in but they should all begin and end with the questions, “What is best for the students?”

As Michelle Obama said to a heckler and I am paraphrasing, “It is not about you or your issue. It is about the kids. It is about their future. That is what is important.”

As I make my final black mark on someone’s name to cast my ballot, I hope it is the last black mark I see on your name. I hope you will proceed forward as the next school director as a true servant of each child making their way through the system. They need you to stay focused on their needs and not your need to be right or your need to take care of anyone other than each of those kids.

These kids deserve the best small school district we can develop for them.

Shawn Nowlin

Freeland