Letters to the editor regarding school board election
To the editor,
– Let me encourage everyone to get out or mail in your vote for Angela Hollander for Paso Robles School Board. She is a candidate who loves all the children in our district and is endorsed by our teacher’s union, PRPE. She reads to the children in our district and has started reading programs emulated all over the county. We need more board members like her; those who represent the best interests of our students, teachers, and administrators. She wants a cooling-off period to bring us back to the center and back to the middle where most of us are both politically and religiously.
Mr. Enney does not know what the teachers’ union is even about; he seems to be anti-union and anti-children as well. Enney is unschooled on educational issues, has done nothing to help the educational community, and his rhetoric has been hateful and divisive during his campaign. Teachers love children; teachers choose to spend their lives serving the families in our communities the best they can. While I appreciate Mr. Enney’s military service to our country that service does not qualify him to serve on the Board. We are not making a strategic plan to take Hill #99! Angela is trying to teach children to work out their differences in a non-violent way and to live with and love one another. Mr. Enney wants to blow it all up and burn it all down because he does not like the public educational system and hates unions.
PRPE, the teacher’s union, believes in and is committed to the parents and children of Paso Robles. The union is also committed to its members. If a union member is attacked, the union defends and fights for its members; so they are deeply committed to one another as well. We are committed to a uniter. Vote for Angela Hollander for Paso Robles School Board.
Steve Arnette
Paso Robles
AP English PRHS, Retired
To the editor,
A chance to regain some American values
On the sponsorship thing, isn’t the other candidate heavily indebted to the Republican party and all its aliases?
This house and the one next door will be voting for common sense pre-2016 American values with Angela Hollander.
Lance Garland
Paso Robles
To the editor,
An election like no other
I thought the presidential election was appalling. Nope. Just a walk in the park. I thought the county supervisor election was disgraceful. Nope. A piece of cake. Neither of those holds a candle to this PRJUSD Board member fight.
The division this election has created is unprecedented and disturbing on so many levels. These candidates are polar opposites. They have diametrically opposite points of view on the condition of our schools and how to handle the issues. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it” is to determine for yourself; (1) Do we have a problem that needs to be solved? (2) Which candidate presents the most effective path for solving that problem? (3) If we really don’t have a problem in our schools, then why are the test scores so low and who is responsible if not the school board?
I do not have children or even grandchildren in this school district. So in essence I shouldn’t have a dog in this fight. But I do. And for me, this election is personal.
This is my town. And what can be more important than the children who grow up here and either fail due to a flawed educational system, or with our help, flourish to go on and add to the quality of this town and our lives. I care about our schools and how they’re managed, or mismanaged.
I care if they’re squandering our money on nonsense or spending it on the necessities that enhance the ability to teach our children in an environment that’s encouraging and safe. My tax dollars pay for the schools and that gives me certain rights. The right to speak up when I see a wrong. The right to criticize the school board for its decisions. And the right to vote for staying on the same path or opting for change. If someone doesn’t understand that we have a problem here in our schools and in our town….they simply are not paying attention.
If we don’t have a problem, why did the police department take action with a public meeting on “Drugs, Gangs and Cybercrime” after they were challenged by citizens claiming BS when witnessing that school board presentation by the school resource officers saying there was no real problem?
The parents know better and they were done hiding the problem. They want it out in the open. The City of Paso Robles for all of its wonders, runs on misplaced priorities and a lack of focus on what really matters – the people.
How Paso values its citizens is the foundational issue for everything else that takes place. Does the city listen to its citizens above all else? Does the city council place the needs and desires of the people above all else? How does the police department respond and interact with us? Do we feel protected and safe?
When people feel valued and respected, they raise their children likewise. Respect is a vital component missing in so much of this city, in our schools and in our children. If the respect for our citizens is low, so will be the lack of respect we receive in return.
Maybe we can regain confidence in our school board, our teachers, and our town if we can convince our children that they are the most important ingredient for our future and we expect great things from them.
As a parent, I believe with all my heart that our children will live up, or down to our expectations. The problem in our schools won’t end with this election. This is California. A state once revered, now mocked. That didn’t happen overnight. It was methodical and purposeful.
But here in this city, we can take a stand and demand better. And maybe that’s the message this election is sending; Do better.
- Better decisions by the school board.
- Better supportive conditions for our teachers.
- Better communication between the parents, teachers and school.
- Better campus patrol to help alleviate bullying, threats and vandalism.
- Better counseling services for our kids.
- Better methods of intervention when an issue is discovered.
- Better methods for disciplinary actions against disruptive students.
Children should go to school with the confidence of knowing who they are and where they fit in their school and their community.
Children should go to school knowing we have their back.
Jan Albin
Paso Robles
Parent, grandparent, caring citizen and advocate for better.
Editor’s note: Opinion pieces and letters to the editor are the personal opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paso Robles Daily News or its staff. We welcome letters from local residents regarding relevant local topics. To submit one, click here.
