Editor,
I enjoyed reading your article about increasing school board partisanship in Indiana. I have no issue with the content. It’s fair and comprehensive.
My issue is with our cultural premise that nonpartisanship is even possible. Who, in the history of anything, has been able to set aside their personal worldview to then make policy for a group of people? Rather, what happens is this: Worldviews are used in every position of leadership. Take “fairness” for example. How does the leader define what’s fair? How did they come to that conclusion? What is their ultimate authority?
Decisions related to K-12 education are by nature political and values-based. Someone’s values always fill a “nonpartisan” vacuum.
Sadly, in my view, we don’t have enough cultural cohesion to take conceptual agreement for granted. I wish that weren’t the case.
Thank you for your efforts in drawing attention to a worthy debate!
Jacob Johnston, Fishers
