David Gravano: Shane Smith, Emily Langdon best for City Schools board

The California School Boards Association says that school boards ensure that their districts respond to the values, beliefs and priorities of their communities. I think that’s absolutely right. School trustees are, in essence, true members of the community who serve as watchdogs. A good trustee will guide our schools on behalf of parents and the community while holding administration accountable when they do not consider our interests.

While our Merced City School District ballots are again filled with former district insiders, only Shane Smith, Area 1, and Emily Langdon, Area 4, are working professional parents with kids in the public school system. They will act as the community watchdogs, keeping the interest of students, parents and residents foremost in mind. As a parent, I ask voters to elect Shane Smith and Emily Langdon to bring a fresh perspective to our school board and make sure our district administration responds to the community they serve.

This story was originally published November 4, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "David Gravano: Shane Smith, Emily Langdon best for City Schools board."