Letter: A real plan to improve our schools

In the school board race, voters should ask themselves which candidates have a plan to improve our schools? The choices are clear: Citizens for Carlisle Schools (Bussard, Clash, Shane, Stroud, Tarrant) — a nonpartisan team of local parents, teachers and taxpayers with a detailed plan to put students first, or Team for Change (Brown, Blume, Kephart, Leatherman, Shine) – partisan candidates backed by extremist groups pushing a political agenda that will risk our kids' futures.

I trust Bussard, Clash, Shane, Stroud and Tarrant to put our students ahead of political ideologies. You can read about their plan in their campaign materials or on their website at CitizensForCarlisleSchools.org/priorities. Their plan covers five key areas:

Prioritize academic achievement and career success: They will continue to address learning gaps and improve student performance; approve curriculums that give our students the knowledge and skills to succeed; and provide tailored interventions to help families with struggling students.

Address student mental health needs: They will work with school counselors, parents and teachers to improve student mental health and strengthen academic achievement. I particularly value their focus on drop-out prevention and learning support programs to help more kids graduate.

Retain excellent teachers and programs: They pledge to recruit and retain the best educators by offering competitive salaries and respecting them as trusted professionals.

Encourage parental involvement: They will encourage parents to be engaged in their child's education to help maintain local control and community pride in our schools.

Ensure transparency and fiscal accountability: They will responsibly invest taxpayer dollars in academic programs and vital school infrastructure, while pledging to make curriculum and budget information easily available to parents and taxpayers.

On Nov. 7, vote for Bussard, Clash, Shane, Stroud and Tarrant — they have a plan that will put our students first and keep politics out of our classrooms.

Rick Galena

Carlisle

Read Rick's letter