Elect Blake Thomas

Our district's track record of focusing on the wants of today over the needs of tomorrow has allowed finances to reach a point of crisis. Without passage of the referendum the district will struggle to provide a level of service to the community that honors the effort, investment and engagement that students and teachers bring to school every day. We see this brand of thought most recently with the push to return to classrooms when metrics from both the CDC and the Lake County Health Department told us that we were at "the highest risk of community transmission in schools," but this is a moment decades in the making.

We need District leadership that can do the work to support the community by planning ahead. And yet, district leadership has historically and consistently shown a lack of engagement with the community most directly impacted by their decisions—namely students, parents and educators. It's this lack of engagement that leaves us ill-prepared to meet the moment and makes it that much more critically important that we pass the referendum.

It's been said that "poor planning on your part does not necessitate an emergency on mine." There's wisdom in this, but it doesn't remove the urgency of the issues and instead invites us to consider who we are. Do we take responsibility as a community ready to meet those challenges?

As a member of the community, I have for years been a consistent advocate for better management, but my conscience has pushed me to seek a more active role. I believe we can meet the moment together, and I plan to do it with the community's support. You can read more about my platform, connect with me or my campaign.