Do your homework

I used to agree with the statement, “It doesn’t matter who or what you vote for, just vote.” In recent years I have changed to, “Vote any way you want, but carefully inform yourself first.” A good example is the Spokane Public Schools board of directors.

The board recently voted on two controversial issues: the new downtown stadium and the school attendance boundaries. As the public commented, a lot of people said they would not vote for the next levy if the board didn’t vote for their side.

While that does send a message to the board, it is a misplaced protest vote that does not address the real problem: the board itself. If one votes against the levy because the board foolishly decided to build a stadium downtown or because they made a bad decision on the attendance boundaries, one is punishing students, parents, teachers and the community. Voting for or against a levy should be based on the levy’s merits, and voters should do their homework when voting for school board members.

In the future, some of them may run for office outside the school board, and I will certainly look at their records as school board members before I cast my vote. This newspaper ran several articles about people running for the two board positions that are up for election; they are a good start for informing oneself about the upcoming election.

My suggestion: do what the school board should do — do your homework before you vote!

Thomas J. Armitage

Spokane