State Board of Education Member Election Process Amendments

Before the committee selection process for state board members was created and anybody could run, we got some real wackos running, some of whom were elected. I believe it was the education community that asked for the process to be changed because of what was happening. If we go back to that method, the education community will likely be the ones hurt. The process will very likely become partisan either in statute or defacto, because, like the "non-partisan" Salt Lake City mayor position, the political background of the candidate will be made an issue of. Even if that doesn't happen, state board districts are too big for people to know the candidates like they do on local board districts. We will end up voting blindly. That is the whole reason political parties came about in state and national elections. Most of the voters can't know candidates or their philosophies when the district they want to represent covers too big of an area.

The better way would be to have the nominating committee for each state board district made up of the locally elected board members. Unlike the current system, these people are accountable to the voters and are elected by them. They are also the ones most affected by the policies of the state board. They OUGHT to have some say in who is running.