What a difference a couple of years make. Riverside School District 96 turned a corner in 2013, with voters choosing a fresh direction that was tweaked again in 2015. The result has been that District 96 went from being a district that was unsettled to one that appears to have a clear path forward.
In order to extend that successful run, we’re endorsing David Barsotti, Daniel Hunt, Joel Marhoul and Jeffrey Miller for the four four-year terms up for election.
Miller, the board’s current president, is a thoughtful leader on a board that’s actually going to be on the inexperienced side once this election is decided. With three incumbents choosing not to run for a second term, those who came aboard in 2015, including Miller, who ran for a two-year term last time around, will be the most experienced.
With that in mind, we’re looking at Barsotti and Hunt – both of them members of the District 96 technology steering committee – and Marhoul, who has children in the district and government board experience as a member of the Riverside Planning and Zoning Commission to be quick studies as board members.
With a new administration in place and the potential for large capital investments coming down the pike, this board is going to need to be ready to roll immediately. We think the additions of Barsotti, Hunt and Marhoul and the continued leadership of Miller will help continue to move the district in the right direction.
Also running is Riverside resident Nick Lambros, who is not endorsed.