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Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS — Want to get more involved in your child’s education? Are you frustrated with how much you pay for school taxes? Do you have a lot of free time and want to give something back and make a difference in your community?
The answer is simple: Run for school board!
Each year, we’re amazed to see a multitude of hot issues coming out of local school districts but hardly any new faces competing for open board seats.
Maybe the apathy is created by a feeling that one person can’t make a difference. Or perhaps people see some of the negative headlines coming out of some districts and don’t want to subject themselves to scrutiny.
Lew-Port School Board incumbent Mike Gentile is certainly an example of this. Despite feeling the district and board are moving in the right direction, Gentile recently told the Niagara Gazette he has no plans to seek a second term.
“I have no interest of putting my family through an election,” Gentile said. “Some of the things that are going on are disgusting.”
He’s right — school board elections in Lew-Port are usually more about politics and money than student achievement. Still, nothing is going to change unless more people come out to run. This May’s election in Lew-Port will have three seats up for grabs — that’s nearly half the board.
The Niagara-Wheatfield School District is much quieter than Lew-Port in terms of board controversy but all the goodwill rarely attracts any type of race for school board, which is a shame. Two board seats are up this year and we’re hoping that’s enough to attract some new blood.
As for Niagara Falls, there’s always plenty of issues that capture public attention — both positive and negative. Whether you’re a fan or a critic of Falls schools, why not bring that energy onto the school board where you could really enact change. Two seats are available this year, including the one currently occupied by 10-year board veteran Christopher Brown who has already said he won’t seek a third term.
So far, seven people have picked up petitions to run in the Falls, which is certainly a positive sign. Whether they all are on the May 18 ballot is yet to be seen.
We challenge more people to run for the open seats in Niagara Falls, Lewiston-Porter and Niagara-Wheatfield.
The more the merrier — especially when it comes to educating children.
