Howell Schools has open board seat

From the Argus

Things should heat up soon. Ted Parsons is stepping down from the Howell School Board. That means at least one of the two seats is open.

Ted Parsons, Jr., a member of the Howell Public Schools Board of Education for 12 years, announced Monday that he will not run for the board again in May, and will leave office when his term expires in June.


Parsons said he will move out of the district to cut down on his commute. He has been working as an executive of a credit union in Battle Creek since July 2005.


Board President Susan Drazic thanked him for his service.


"Twelve years is a long time to sit up here and serve this community," she said.


The seat held by Jeannine Pratt also is up for election in May.


Nominating petitions and other necessary paperwork are available at the county clerk's office in the historical Livingston County Courthouse. The deadline for filing as a candidate is 4 p.m. Feb. 13.

Also, apparently things heated up at the last Howell Schools meeting - this time over the Bible being taught in school as literature.

People from the statewide chapters of the groups American Atheists, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the American Family Association gave their thoughts on whether the Bible has a place in public schools, as did several parents of students in the Howell schools

We'll see what affect this has on the elections, if any. Another rumor I heard is that the countywide enhancement millage may soon be making a comeback as well, so let's not forget the fiscal and tax issues either when we pick our school board candidates.

(ADDING ON) - While I'm not against the Bible being taught in school - either as literature or as part of a religion class - one thing that needs to be considered, especially in this economy is the cost for this class. The top priorities in public schools need to be the skills necessary to get our students ready for the future - skills to help them pass the ACT or SAT. Math, English, Hard Sciences, History. Not "diversity". Not religion (not that either is a bad thing - it's not)