Summit School District is like the best pro football franchise: the Green Bay Packers. Both had humble beginnings over 100 years ago. The Packers are the only community, publicly owned NFL club. Its owners are tremendously supportive, but they don’t coach the club. Summit residents strongly support public education but don’t tell the professional educators what to teach. The Packers have won the most championships and have the highest win-loss record in NFL history. Summit School District, likewise, has a long history of success on the academic field.

Both operations have had financial challenges but have coped through local support. Green Bay citizens built instantly legendary Lambeau Field through bonding. Summit School District has built and maintained key modern teaching facilities. Great coaches and players are usually attributed with athletic team success. But behind-the-scenes performers have maintained Packers success. Its lesser-known managers have been the team’s real stars. Summit School District has also been well served by largely unacknowledged but effective school boards and superintendents.

Both the Packers and Summit County have had hard times, too. Changing coaches didn’t always immediately improve the Packers fortunes when they were down. Summit School District is now faced with demographic and financial stresses. There’s a local group that says a new educational game plan (theirs) is needed with a new coaching staff (them) to run it. Now, my view is that Packers success has been achieved largely by having steady, capable hands on its management wheel. I doubt that a major revamping of the Summit School District coaching staff with a new game plan is a winner. For program improvement, pros commonly go with proven experience.

Please vote for the steady, experienced hands of Chris Guarino, Kate Hudnut, Johanna Kugler and Lisa Webster to help steer the Summit school board wheel.