Democracy Needs Elections?

Recently in U. City there was an election (but it didn't happen) for three directors on the school board, only three people filed to fill three seats. We have a failing school system and yet there is such a lack of interest, in turning it around until citizens don't even run for a seat. What does this say about our city and is this why our country is falling behind the other developed nations of the world?

Democracy needs elections to infuse ideas from an interested citizenry whose lives are being governed by their representatives. When I studied political science I sometimes wondered what would happen if citizens didn't vote. I realize that this country wasn't founded by the majority and it has succeeded because a few brought the majority along, kicking and screaming. There has to be interest in what is happening to our schools unless we could easily fall into losing our status in the hierarchy of the world.

The word transparency is thrown around by our politicians and yet I see the school board has cut their sessions in half where citizens are allowed to speak and even when we are, we can only express our concerns at the beginning and at the end of their regular meetings. Being able to speak before the directors vote has been something we fought for, for many years. I am surprised at a time when we are failing and need parental help we block them out. I am not quibbling about semantics, the state shows our district as provisionally accredited and the next step is to lose accreditation, unless improvement is made in a short time.

I hope we can maintain, but we need all of us to make it happen. Representatives, as foreseen by the fathers (founders) of this country need the citizens more than the citizens need the representatives. I hope more of the citizens get interested in running for elective office and not leave it up to a desirous handful. We may have ended up with only two people running for three seats or one running for the seats. Would we lower the number of seats or beg anyone to run. We must get involved because, "since we have to pay taxes I would rather mine went to educate than incarcerate". A recent statement from the prosecutor for Chris Coleman Ofallon Il. after his conviction, it will cost over $42,000.00 per year to incarcerate him, and only $37,000.00 to send a student to Princeton (trust me I had the latter experience).