Consider running for school board

School Board elections in Iowa will be held on Sept. 8. This opportunity only occurs every two years and for the most part, every community seems to waste it. At the same time, many members of the community continue to complain.

Our state legislators have made school board elections difficult in Iowa, partially because of election constraints but mostly because elections are held when families are focused on the start of the school year and not the future of their school district.

Communities would benefit if school board elections were held before schools are dismissed for the summer, while communities are engaged and board decisions are fresh in everyone's mind.

Americans should cherish the opportunity to run for an elected office, to support a candidate and vote. Contested elections provide the opportunity for constructive public dialogue about past, current and future issues. Everyone benefits from this type of dialogue, even when the best candidate is the incumbent.

More than ever we need quality candidates who believe in transparency and are willing to change the culture of the school board and board meetings.

Iowa has a lot of potential candidates; they just need a little encouragement. Whether you start your own campaign or find a candidate and support them, you will make a difference in your school district. Personally, running for the school board was one of the best experiences of my life.

The process to run for a school board is simple. In most school district, a competitive campaign can be run for under $500.

Community organizations and news medias should embrace this process by holding local debates. Voters need to know where candidates stand on the issues.

Whether you start a campaign or find a candidate to support, start the process now to make a difference and improve school boards across the state.

' Lawrence Wenclawski was a candidate for District 3 of the Cedar Rapids Community School Board in the 2013 election. Comments: lwenclawski@mchsi.com