Dear Editor,

When incumbent school board members Andrea Haitz, Angela Lema and Will Jones took office, they inherited a district budget that had been operating in the red for years, temporarily backfilled by COVID relief funding. Once those federal dollars expired, the financial reality could no longer be ignored.

While others might have chosen the easy path or delayed the hard choices, Haitz, Lema and Jones stood firm. They refused to cave to pressure or chase popularity. Instead, they made the tough, often unpopular decisions necessary to restore fiscal stability and protect the future of our schools. That meant consolidating resources and closing facilities – painful steps, but responsible ones.

True leadership isn’t about applause; it’s about accountability. Their resolve has delivered measurable results: higher graduation rates; stronger test scores; increased teacher pay; and the completion of the new Grand Junction High School, on time and under budget.

This November, vote to retain the proven leadership of Andrea Haitz, Angela Lema and Will Jones — leaders who had the courage to do what’s right for students, even when it wasn’t easy.

— Kelly Maves, Grand Junction