George is best candidate for Kansas board of education

Having a representative from the Ottawa area on the Kansas State Board of Education would go a long way toward bringing someone with common sense to that board.

Voting for such a person just because of where he lives isn’t a good enough reason to vote for him, though.

This position is one of 10 seats on the board that determines educational policy for the Sunflower State’s primary and secondary schools. The mission of the board is to ensure all students meet or exceed high academic standards and are prepared for their next steps (e.g., the world of work and/or post-secondary education).

Here are a few reasons, though, Republicans should vote for Ottawan Dennis George to represent this area as the Kansas State Board of Education member for District 3:

• As an accountant, George has keen insight into the complicated budgets school districts contend with and their application to school districts of varying sizes.

• Quality public education matters to George, and he wants to see all students of public schools be properly prepared for the world of work or post-secondary education. He has proven he makes decisions based on facts, data and professional advice, along with a good dose of common sense.

• District 3 includes Linn and Miami counties and portions of Johnson, Franklin and Anderson counties. George can capably represent those constituents with wisdom, openness and strong ethics.

• George has proven through his many years of service on the Ottawa School Board he can handle difficult topics with compassion, candidness and level-headedness. He doesn’t play favorites and won’t embarrass the state with a step backward on teaching creationism and intelligent design in the classroom. His opponent — incumbent John Bacon — has been on the other side of the controversy.

 • George has served as chief executive officer for a successful health organization for nearly two decades and has the versatility, insight and talents to apply lessons learned at the local education level to statewide decisions.

• This father of two children — one in college and one at Ottawa High School — cares deeply about continuing to improve public education and is an advocate for a growth model for student assessments.

• His experience as regional vice president for the Kansas Association of School Boards and on the Advisory Council for Charter Schools for the Kansas Department of Education have proven his ongoing commitment to strong public education.

This race will be decided during the primary since there isn’t a Democratic opponent for the seat.

We urge Republican voters to go to the polls and support Dennis George for the State Board of Education — not because of where he lives — but because he is the best candidate for the position.