School board candidate no-shows speaks volumes

What does it say about the three school board candidates who failed to participate in a candidate forum, recently hosted by the school district’s teachers?
It speaks volumes, and it’s loud and clear that they think they don’t need to answer to the district’s voters.
We’re talking, specifically, about current board president Jihan Aiyash, former boardmember Showkat Choudhury and a newcomer, Mohamed Algehaim.
Algehaim has actually told the teachers that he will not be participating in their interviews or endorsement process. Imagine that, openly admitting you won’t be talking to your potential employees.
We applaud board candidates Linda Wolyniec, Joe Kochut and Philip Garbacz for carving time out of their day to attend the forum.
From what we heard they had to say, we’d endorse all three of them. However, there are only two seats on the board in play in this upcoming election, which will be Nov. 5.
We can’t fathom why the other candidates refuse to speak to the public, but in Aiyash’s case, it’s par for the course. She has refused to answer questions at board meetings, and hides behind board policy to not respond.
In one egregious case, a parent of a special needs child came to the board meetings for months asking when the district was going to provide the federally required assistance, but was only met with stony silence, month after month, from the board members.
That parent told The Review he never got a follow-up response from the district.
Apparently, it’s convenient for some boardmembers to not engage the community – but this habit of not responding to the public has got to be changed,
Remember this voters: there are some candidates who feel they have no reason to talk to you or listen to your concerns.
Posted Sept. 20, 2024