Eight person school board race

One of the most highly contested races in the general election for Hot Springs County voters is the eight person fight for three positions on the Hot Springs County School District #1 Board of Trustees.

Two incumbents and six challengers all want to have a seat on the board for the next four years.

The school board district positions are nonpartisan offices. Candidates do not run under the merits of any political party affiliation.

Awhile back, a committee made up of HSC Republican party members sent out questionnaires to the eight school board candidates. The candidates were asked to answer six questions with one word answers. The candidates were also invited to the HSC Republican party monthly meeting which was held Monday night.

The questions and the invite became a much debated topic on social media.

We cannot tell you which candidates responded or did not respond to the questions ahead of time. Six of the candidates did attend the Monday meeting. Two of those who attended gave a short speech and then opted to sit in the audience for the remainder of the process. Four candidates participated and answered questions.

Children are our future. As voters, we are fortunate to have eight candidates who want to ensure quality education of students in Hot Springs County.

We will be devoting at least two pages to information on these candidates in our election section running in next week’s IR.

A meet and greet has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Hall. All school board candidates have been invited. There will be no formal questions asked of all candidates or formal speeches given. It will be a time to visit with the candidates and ask them any questions you want answers to, one on one.

The general election is just around the corner. Plan to be an informed voter, one that feels confident filling in the ovals next to the names of three of the school board candidates or any of the other candidates on the ballot.