Vote Simon Murnahan for Holton Public Schools USD 336 Board of Education

The local school board holds the authority to set policies and curriculum for our schools. It is the board’s duty to ensure their decisions reflect the values and principles of Holton taxpayers rather than following national political and educational trends, which are often against the will of Holton citizens.

Tragically, the USA is suffering declines across numerous measurable categories of education. Within my relatively short lifetime, we have endured much self-imposed destruction at the hands of state and local school boards cowering to corrupted unions. We elect these people for guidance and leadership, but the public is often blind to what school boards do after the elections.

It is easy to direct blame for poor educational outcomes to everything from alpha to zed. The most difficult finger to point is toward the negligence and apathy of our friends and neighbors. We reap what we sow, and it is my intention to gain greater local public involvement in our schools – thereby sowing better seed.

I am passionate about the education of all, and it is my goal to absorb knowledge and pass it on to the future generations. I want to ensure that my younger siblings and their peers are educated on the true history of the world. Our youth deserve to graduate with an accurate understanding of our past and the ability to recognize parallels between our world today and the one our forefathers worked so hard to achieve.

We The People means You, my constituents.

Our schools must hear your voice, and must be held accountable to The People.

A critical purpose which the current administration has frequently failed to fulfill is to act in service of the public. I understand that the people of this city are my constituency and I will, therefore, answer only to you. The acting Board of Education has a history of caving to peer pressure or personal interests. I will do no such thing. I consider it my duty to work in the service of the people, so never hesitate to contact me and join me at school board meetings to make your voice heard.

An action step I will take toward the objectives I outline here at Simon336.com is to encourage, in every way I can, that members of the community are present at Board of Education meetings.

The result is that activity in the classroom and the curriculum taught by teachers and staff will become more transparent and effective – as it should be.

Have you ever felt like your voice doesn’t matter to elected officials? I think most of us have felt that way at times – but if we do not make our voices heard, it is hard to expect the outcomes we seek.

I cannot pretend to know all of the school related topics that matter to our community – but I want to know. I believe the only way a school board member can faithfully execute their duties is to actively gather the opinions and needs of the community.

Please click here and tell me what matters to you. I promise to listen, and always place the highest priority on the public voice.

Current issues I wish to confront as a member of the Board of Education are as follows:

Authentic History – A goal of particular concern, one which will demand the entire community’s vigilance, is to cement the teachings of authentic and accurate content in USD 336’s classrooms. More specifically, I am prepared to do whatever it takes to stand against false education programs within the realm of The 1619 Project, Critical Race Theory, and their allied terms. I promise to do my part to prevent such anti-American hate in our schools.

Lack of Valuable Discussion and Dissent – One of my largest missions as a member of the Board of Education is to succeed where many members of the current Board fail – to question the details of every proposal and resolution presented before the Board of Education. The current administration’s track record reflects poorly upon the committee, as Board members are seldom willing to give an argument, dissent, or even a hint of dispute on any matter brought before them. To date, virtually every one of the present Board’s voting sessions are recorded as seven to nought. As far as I have observed as an individual during my time here, 100% of the voting sessions have gone unanimous, not only frequently without question from Board members, but also often without a section for discussion, or the failure to hold a discussion before the vote has passed. In both instances, this indicates the group as a whole does not fully understand what they are even voting for before they do so.

I will provide my strongest efforts, as a part of the Board of Education, to be certain every avenue is questioned before a decision is made.

These are only my most emphasized initial missions as a member of the Board of Education, and they are the most crucial issues we, as the public, must address. I have numerous other goals in mind regarding the conduct of the Board’s administration, such as ensuring that every taxpayer dollar going to the school system is used most effectively.

I recently graduated from the school district I wish to serve, and I spent the rest of my high school career beforehand at Washburn Rural High School in Shawnee County. Having just emerged from 336’s school system, I know what we are doing right, and what makes us better than other schools, including WRHS. I also see many areas where we can improve.

I strongly believe it is more important than ever that we preserve American values in our school system. I understand the issues that parents, students, teachers, and staff all face and are troubled by, yet are too intimidated by the administration to confront.

More importantly than my own views, I humbly understand my obligation of time and attention to you, as my constituents. I promise to represent you and put your voice on the stage – as it must be to keep our community cohesive and strong.

My greatest concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus are unrelated to the virus itself, but rather the larger catastrophes surrounding it. Schoolchildren have never been observed as a significant transmission vector, and are in mathematically greater danger of being struck by lightning than dying of COVID19 – yet kids have been treated very poorly throughout the pandemic. I have learned that the majority of the populace making up my constituency view this in the same way.

I am very interested in your views, because that’s what matters the most!

To be certain, COVID19 should never be used as a justification for masking our children, school closures, or any of the associated restrictions put in place by our public school system in the past year and a half. Many of the measures said to protect children have been proven wholly ineffective in their advertised purpose and have caused an entire generation a great deal of mental, emotional, social, and physical harm.