ENCOURAGE CANDIDATES FOR SCHOOL BOARDS

Consider how important public schools are to most of us, even when we are no longer students. And then consider the importance of electing qualified, interested and sensible individuals to represent us on local school boards.

First, the ways our schools remain important to us all our lives:

-- There is hardly a successful individual anywhere who doesn't credit a special teacher who has had such a profound impact that the teacher's name is remembered long after we have outgrown the classroom desks.

-- While we may have questioned the need for algebra and English grammar when we were students, most of us, as adults, have realized that there were bigger lessons about life that we learned while in school: our ability to think through a problem, our understanding of how government affects us, our interest and involvement in the world around us.

-- The bonds of friendship that were formed as students are in many cases as strong as any resulting from careers, hobbies or even marriage.

-- And, of course, the school memories that last a lifetime are usually formed in well-run schools where teachers care, administrators remember who the customers are and school board members establish policies that promote learning instead of thwarting it.

Now the importance of electing good school board members:

Right now, school districts all over the area are seeking to fill board positions that will be voted on in April. Candidates for these seats, usually for a full term of three years, must file by Jan. 19 -- just a week from today.

It takes a person with stamina and a deep interest in education to place his or her name on a school board ballot. Over the years, most school districts can point to any number of outstanding board members who have shown leadership and understanding of the complex issues surrounding a good school system.

In the Cape Girardeau School District, it doesn't take a long memory to recall some tumultuous times on the school board. In recent years, however, voters have chosen hard-working and conscientious school board members who have set the district on a solid course for the future.

Now there are three full-term vacancies to be filled on the seven-member board. So far, four candidates have filed. They may be the best candidates for the positions. But there may be others in the community who also could lend a special leadership ability or decision-making quality that would be useful to the district.

Please encourage anyone who may be interested in getting involved in the school board to file as a candidate before the deadline passes. And then be prepared to support your candidates and vote on April 6.