As you embark on a new term of the school board, on behalf of myself and other similar-minded parents, I wanted to offer some public opinion of the aspirations I and others have for your new tenure. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

First and foremost, school boards in our state and country have unfortunately become political creatures. My first comment would be to ask you all to put your personal political ideologies aside and make decisions that evince care and compassion for all children.

Please err on the side of inclusion, err on the side of more knowledge and not less, err on the side of grace and understanding for all people. It is incomprehensible that school boards in various localities have entangled themselves in culture wars which have nothing to do with the mission of growing our next generation. Be kind over all else.

Second, I would ask that the Board really focus this term on improving outcomes for our kids. 6th grade and 9th grade curriculums have not really changed, but almost all kids have been left behind by the effects of the pandemic.

Catch them up. Add interventionists in all disciplines. Stop the complacency with our school districts’ laggard pace in reading, math and other scores. Get aggressive at one thing and one thing only, to wit, advancing the learning of our children. That is the paramount duty you have taken an oath to further.

Last, I would ask the board to focus on our teachers and staff. By keeping them engaged, and keeping them happy where they are, we can develop the type of stability that kids need. Give them more of what they need. Instead of cutting the library allocations, get them what they need and for goodness sakes stop the banning of books. We all truly believe that parents should be empowered in the education of their children, so do not sell parents short in assuming they cannot manage their children’s impression of new or even risqué ideas.

It is hypocritical to pay homage to parental rights and then assume that parents are incapable. Teachers should be allowed to teach without silly constraints.

Thank you again for your service and I am proud that my daughters are part of the Redmond School District. Continue to ensure that all parents feel that way.

David Bergman

Redmond