Based on the school board candidate forum held at Boulder Pointe on Thursday evening, the Oxford Education Association (OEA) is endorsing four candidates for three open positions.

Recommendations are based on each candidate’s verbal and written responses to questions about a variety of topics. Each of the five candidates in attendance was very well-spoken and clearly had the best interests of students as a priority.

In addition, they were knowledgeable about many district initiatives and were clear about their desires for the future of the district.

At the conclusion of the forum, several OEA members met to determine which candidates to endorse.

With that in mind, OEA is recommending that current board president Dan D’Alessandro be re-elected. We are also endorsing Tom Donnelly, Jennifer Guthrie and Heather Shafer for the remaining two positions.

In our opinion, these candidates would provide OCS with board members who have a positive attitude about the district and will push the district to become better by supporting programs that benefit students while holding the district accountable on multiple fronts.

The candidates also expressed their belief that teachers and administrators function most effectively in an environment in which everyone is working together for a common cause.

Regardless of who you choose to vote for, we encourage you to support the non-homestead tax renewal, as the $5 million it provides to the district is irreplaceable and is critical to the most basic functions of the district.

Your support is appreciated by every student and employee of the district who works hard every day to make Oxford Community Schools a great place to get an education.

Jim Gibbons

President, Oxford Education Association