As a current senior, I already know that the results of the Poway Unified School District Board of Education election will mostly impact the students who come after me. I will, after all, have long graduated by the time new board members begin implementing the sweeping changes or the steady maintenance of the status quo that their campaign websites promise.

Yet I can’t help but wonder about what will happen in the future. I’ve been able to benefit from an on-site school therapist, but in the coming year or so, certain things hang in precarious balance—our district’s partnership with Mending Matters, after all, was only possible because of COVID-19 relief money. For students like my little brother, who will be a ninth-grader next year, such continued support is not a guarantee, which is especially concerning given the spike in mental health concerns post-quarantine.

At the same time, recent debate over possible book bannings have also raised concerns. Questions about how incoming candidates would have handled such an issue are more pertinent now than ever, and I can’t help but hope that incoming students will be able to learn in a district that supports transparency and openness in such conversations, even if they do generate vitriol and controversy.

As someone who cares deeply about my school, I still think that it’s imperative to take a stand for candidates whose values align with my own belief in the importance of district-wide mental health initiatives and transparency at every level. Though I’m not yet of voting age, if I were able to cast my vote this year, I’d vote for Heather Plotzke.

Plotzke has had an extensive history of involvement within PUSD. She’s been a member of the PUSD Board of Education’s CAC (Community Advisory Committee) for six years, and held an executive office for three. 

As a candidate, however, Plotzke is more than just experienced. Not only does she advocate for better communication on the board’s part, her care for and focus on students struggling beneath the lingering mental load of the pandemic will be more important than ever as the budget strains without assistance from COVID-19 relief funds. Even as the other candidates running for Area C’s board position hone in on the physical maintenance of campuses, Plotzke remains unerringly a proponent of supporting student mental health, and I can’t help but feel grateful for that. 

I want my little brother, and students like him, to know that they are supported by board members who will fight to allow them the space they need to grow and develop.