LETTER: To elect or appoint Clark County school board members?

In the Review-Journal’s Friday editorial on whether the Clark County School Board should be elected, appointed or a hybrid, you suggested that civic groups recruit and promote candidates with the background and skills necessary and then allow voters to decide. But that still has some downsides.

I attended a meeting a couple of years ago in which two Clark County school trustee candidates spoke and presented their credentials. One was a young attorney with a finance background. She was informed about the issues and had extensive knowledge about the role of the job. The other person was a high school graduate whose only qualifications were that she was a mom. The second person was elected.

So much for offering qualified candidates.

Regardless of whether local school board members are appointed or elected, I think it’s imperative that there are some educational qualifications as well as relevant background experience required for all candidates.