Vote Washburn

Vote for Tyler Washburn for MSAD 75 School Board. Tyler is an experienced prior member of the MSAD 75 Board. He served on the Board for four and a half years as a Student Representative and then as a Board Member. He was the youngest Chair of the Board in the history of the district.

More than experience alone, though, he understands that parents are responsible for and are a vital component of their children’s educations. Tyler Washburn’s opponent has been quoted as saying, “The foundation of a healthy and successful school district depends on the teachers, administrators and staff.” I have to ask, where are the parents? Are they not a vital part of the education of their children and of a healthy and successful school district?

I taught for more than 20 years in the Maine public school system and know that teachers and administrators act in loco parentis. That means “in place of the parents” and most certainly does not mean “replacing parents.”

I want to believe that the quote attributed to Mr. Larsen was not accurate but I have to feel that the exclusion of parents from the decision making of programs, policies and curricula in our schools is more than just a simple oversight but represents a dangerous trend that is happening nationwide in our public schools. For example, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Is this what you want for Maine and for MSAD 75? I certainly don’t and neither does Tyler Washburn.

Parents must be included as the most essential and important part of our children’s educations. Tyler Washburn fully understands this and will represent you, the parents and voters, and students.

Disclaimer: I am a resident of Topsham. My taxes support MSAD 75 which gives me cause to want the parents of our students to have the best representation. Tyler Washburn is the best and most experienced person to represent Harpswell.

Dan Konieczko,
Topsham

Governor should not send guard overseas

I hope that the governor of Maine will refuse to send members of the Maine National Guard to Eastern Europe, a move that will escalate towards a war with Russia. There is no military solution out of this crisis — diplomacy needs to be the focus!

Gov. Brennan refused to deploy the Guard in 1986 to Central America when President Reagan declared that the leftist Nicaraguan government was a threat to our national security. Instead of building roads in Honduras to support the Contras, Brennan ordered that the guard work on 40 road projects in Maine. At the time, federal law required governors to consent to federal activation unless the activation occurred during a time of war or national emergency.

After Brennan’s wise and brave move, the Pentagon asked Congress to clarify the relationship between federal and state governments in regards to deploying the National Guard. An amendment was then added to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1987 that stripped governors of their ability to block overseas deployment. The law was appealed, but unfortunately upheld by the Supreme Court which ruled that Congress can authorize the president to order members of the National Guard to active duty for purposes of training outside the United States during peacetime without either the consent of a state governor or the declaration of a national emergency.

Now is the time for another wise and brave Governor to resist sending members of the state’s National Guard out of state to risk/trigger military confrontation. Maine taxpayers’ would rather spend their money deploying the Guard to Maine hospitals to help with COVID treatment.

Natasha Mayers,
Whitefield