Letter to the Editor: School Board’s reputation has changed for better, so re-elect three incumbents, Sethaler

When sworn into office, Illinois School Board members take an oath to uphold federal and state laws, while “fostering excellence for every student in the areas of academic skills, knowledge, citizenship, and personal development (Illinois School Board Oath of Office).”

However, there are instances when our local standards may be in conflict with the State of Illinois education laws and standards. It requires an experienced school board to know how to successfully govern between those conflicting requirements.

Quincy is blessed with a solid School Board that has learned how to walk the fine line between state mandates and local needs. For that reason, we need to maintain continuity at the local level by re-electing the three incumbent candidates and adding one new member. This allows for both consistent oversight and fresh new ideas without disruptions that ultimately harm our students’ education.

It has only been 10 years since the dysfunction between a few School Board members kept qualified superintendent candidates from submitting their resumes for the job. It was well understood across the state that working for Quincy Public Schools was not a good career move.

Today, the Board’s reputation has changed for the better in many areas. Let’s stay the course of steady improvement and re-elect (Shelley) Arns, (Latonya) Brock and (Jim) Whitfield, plus elect Curtis Sethaler as a new board member.

Thank you for your support of these candidates.

Sheldon Bailey
Quincy Public Schools Board Member
2013-2021