Farmington Public Schools set to vote on election dates.

According to school board members and Superintendent Robert Maxfield, the reasons for holding separate school elections are: 1) a new school board member may feel overwhelmed trying to catch up on issues; 2) nearby districts indicate they will choose May for their elections; and 3) school board candidates will be forced to spend more money on their campaigns to get their message out during a November election. In their minds, the $60,000 spent on an exclusive school election is worth the price. I find it reveals their inability to properly prioritize how public funds should be spent.

If a newly elected school board member feels overwhelmed, I suggest they do more homework. I expect my children to spend the time necessary to be prepared and I refuse to expect any less from a school board member. I would hope that candidates are elected based on their knowledge of the issues facing the district and their proposed solutions. If a candidate gets elected based on a popularity contest or better campaign funding then I question whether additional preparation time is going to make them any more qualified to run the district.

As far as what other districts are doing, what difference does it make when they hold their elections? This ridiculous point has absolutely no bearing on Farmington schools.

Finally, reducing costs for a candidate seeking public office is not an acceptable use of tax dollars. If my neighbors wish to support a candidate, let them make a donation to the candidate's campaign. I don't need the city or the district reaching into my pocket to pay for an unnecessary election because candidates don't want to spend more of their own money. If you can't generate enough monetary support to run a campaign, then you should reconsider whether you can generate enough votes to win.

None of these excuses are valid reasons to waste $60,000. In addition, school administrators continually discuss the importance of community involvement with the success of public schools yet they favor separate elections that result in low voter turnout. Maxfield doesn't worry about low turnout because only "X number of people are vitally interested in the election." What kind of elitist attitude is this?

Based on data from the FPS web site, voter turnout for school elections since 1997 average about 4% for each election. Contrast this with voter turnout during the last 3 general elections - 53% in 2000, 56% in 2002, and 77% this past November 2nd. While the current administration and board members may wish for the old days when they could schedule an election at any obscure time they desired, it's time to be fiscally responsible and hold the vote during general elections.

[Letter to the Editor - Farmington Observer - published 12/2/2004]