Robert Johnsen: “She [Ruth] knows the needs of students, she hears the concerns of parents, and she has the perspective of a career teacher.”

As a teacher of American government, one of the leading responses I hear regarding voter apathy in our community is, “I just don’t like any of the candidates.” This year in the election for school board, you won’t have to say that because you’re going to like retiring teacher Ruth Marohn an awful lot.

It’s been my great privilege to teach alongside Ruth at Jesse Carson High where I have seen her dedicate her life to helping students grow. Ruth is a career teacher with over 32 years of experience, and she raised her two children here in Rowan-Salisbury Schools. She knows the needs of students, she hears the concerns of parents, and she has the perspective of a career teacher.

She is not interested in advancing. She wants to serve on the school board because she has a genuine concern for the wellbeing of the students in our district. She is not a politician tied to any partisan agenda. She sees tremendous progress being made every day in our district from within our school, but she also speaks out about the deficiencies we have regarding student literacy, staff retention, and continuity between schools. She spoke this week at the Rowan Chamber of Commerce candidate forum about getting students excited about reading, recruiting and developing great teachers, and promoting all of the often-unseen extracurricular opportunities our schools offer. In the midst of a politically divisive environment, these are things that we can all get on board with.

“I just don’t like any of the candidates?” Not this year. Vote with confidence for Ruth Marohn for Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education.

Robert Johnsen