Politics do not belong in education

Some say the effort to recall Keith Rutledge and Susan Brown has divided our small community. That is not how I see it at all.

What I see is a community that has come together in a way like never before. I see 206 businesses willing to lose revenue in order to support this effort in a very public way. What I see are logging trucks with signs supporting the recall. I see 150-200 people joining a parade and chanting their support. What I see is standing room only at board meetings.

What I see are parents, grandparents, educators, and community members putting aside their personal politics and ideologies to do what is right for this district. Those against it call supporters Democrats, donkeys, woke liberals and communists. That’s just not true. Over 600 community members in a conservative town don’t become liberal overnight.

What I see at every meeting for the recall are community members who fly all sorts of flags: Trump 2024 flags, the Rebel flag, the Stars and Stripes, and maybe even a Pride flag. They all leave their flags at the door. This is about doing the right thing, not proving someone else wrong.

This area has always come together in times of crisis: to pay for cancer treatments, to support a boy with a football injury, or to help a sexual assault survivor feel safe. We are in a crisis now.

These two trustees have created chaos and mistrust. Our kids are counting on you to see what I see. Politics don’t belong in education.

BROOKE RAMSEY

Priest River