Since moving back to my hometown of Lovington, NM, I have looked for ways to help and give back to the community. When the school board election came up, it seemed like a good opportunity to get involved and hopefully fix a lot of the problems that have seemed to be log-jammed relating to our schools.
Growing up in Lovington, I went through the public school system here. While nobody really likes having to go to school, looking back on the experience I can say that Lovington had a really good school system back then. It was particularly true when I compared my experience to the experiences of friends from Hobbs. The Hobbs school system felt like a prison for the kids, and still seems to today.
I don’t want that for kids in Lovington, and I hope we can focus on making Lovington schools a place to learn and grow.
School shouldn’t feel like an obligation; it should feel like an opportunity.
Top Issues
Some of the things I would like to focus on if elected to the school board are:
- Diverse Extracurriculars – Our modern economy doesn’t value a basic education like it used to. Today, even entry-level positions expect some basic skillsets, most of which aren’t taught in public schools or are outdated when they are. I’d like to see more investment and emphasis around extracurricular activities, and make sure that a diverse range of programs are available to our students, particularly in high school, so that they can follow their particular interests and reach their full potential. While doing so, not only will it make their school experience more fulfilling, but it will equip them with marketable skills right out of high school.
- Supporting Our Teachers – One of the biggest problems with our modern education system is that teachers are burdened with bureaucratic red tape and have their hands tied by written and unwritten rules about what they can do in the classroom. This makes it hard for teachers to do what they are good at: teaching. We need to ensure we have policies that empower our teachers and protect them, which will also help the district recruit and keep good quality teachers.
- Anti-Bullying Measures – Though bullying always has been and likely will always be a part of growing up, the nature of bullying has changed dramatically in recent times. A lot of bullying follows kids outside of school, thanks largely to social media, and parents continually express that current school policies aren’t enough to protect their kids. This needs to be a higher priority for the district.
If you’ve got kids in the Lovington school system, then I would love to hear from you! We need to make sure parents and kids are heard instead of making decisions in a vacuum. You can reach out to me any time through email (contact@clayburngriffin.com) or on Facebook.
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