With all due respect, whether a candidate for the Hamilton County Board of Education does or does not support the posting of the Ten Commandments in school is not the most important question an applicant should be asked.
But their answers to that question seemed to be the favored takeaway from Monday’s town hall meeting at Erlanger Park, organized by Hamilton County Commissioner Montrell Besley.
For the record, four of the six people who want the District 11 seat would not want the commandments posted, and two would.
The Education Committee of the Hamilton County Commission will next interview the candidates Monday at 9 a.m., and the public is invited. The committee’s agenda will not include a time for public comment. Commissioners then will vote on the applicant of their choice at their regular Wednesday meeting Oct. 28.
Rather than their thoughts on the commandments, which can be posted in schools per state law, we would rather know from applicants how they plan to support the schools in their district, what in their background they believe qualifies them to be a school board member, how they feel about the governor’s Education Freedom Scholarships program and whether it should be expanded, their thoughts on the educating of unauthorized immigrant children, and whether they believe there is too much, enough or not enough mental health support for students in local public schools.