Ronald Reagan is quoted as saying that who is elected to local school boards is sometimes more important than who is elected to Congress.
I don't know if Congress can be fixed, no matter who is elected, but I am convinced that it matters who we choose to govern our schools.
With the federal government reaching too far into our lives already, our school board should be locally accountable and operated according to our values here in Northwest Florida.
Frankly, I want more Okaloosa and less Obama in our schools.
Because of a change in state laws, school board elections are now non-partisan. That means political parties don't run candidates for school board anymore, but it doesn't mean that political beliefs aren't important. They are.
If our community's values are conservative but our school board becomes liberal, our children will be educated according to an agenda not our own.
So it's a fair question to inquire as to the political philosophy and partisan agenda of those who want to operate our school system.
Readers can check the same public records I did. Joe Slusser, on the November School Board ballot, is a lifelong Democrat. That's his privilege. But it's my privilege to know that he publicly subscribes to beliefs different from mine and from most local citizens.
Sorry, Joe, we can't turn over Okaloosa schools to the Democrats. Your party is messing up enough of the country as it is.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: LETTER: Democrats can't have Okaloosa schools