I am a lifelong resident of Redmond. My education (and my three kids’ education) was spent in Redmond.

For the last 32 years I have been a teacher at Redmond and Ridgeview High Schools. I feel very qualified to speak on the upcoming school board elections.

For the last two years, some members of the board have been focused on their political agenda and fighting culture wars that don’t exist in our schools. Parents can be comfortable in the knowledge that they already have rights in our schools, and avenues to address them.

What we need is a school board that will focus efforts on supporting students and staff to create the best possible outcomes. Fortunately, in this election, we have three such candidates.

Liz Goodrich is running for re-election. She spent the difficult last term keeping her focus on student and staff needs, while also addressing safety. Her sole focus for a second term is positive outcomes for students.

Brad Porterfield’s career has been connecting communities and resources. He has a passion for ensuring the academic well-being of students, but also their social and emotional well-being. He is willing to look outside of the box for solutions.

Amanda Page comes from a family of educators and is a strong student advocate. She feels staff needs proper resources in place to ensure students can achieve high levels of success. She feels strongly that all students deserve an equitable education and opportunity for success.

What these three candidates have in common is that they want the best for our students, they want to make sure that all community voices are heard, and they have no political agenda. They just want to serve our community and our students.

Please vote for Redmond School Board candidates Amanda Page, Brad Porterfield and Liz Goodrich.

Barry Branaugh

Redmond