Some Lawrence residents will have a chance to vote in November for a member of the state school board. It’s an important decision that shouldn’t be overlooked.

In the four years since local residents last had an opportunity to elect a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, Kansans have become considerably more interested in the activities of the state school board.

During that time, the school board made several controversial decisions that reflected the views of social conservatives who held the majority on the board. One of those decisions, the move to eliminate evolution from state science tests, drew national attention that was less than flattering to Kansas.

The 10-member board backed off on the measure, but it had nonetheless gotten the attention of Kansas voters who suddenly wanted to know who their representative on the board was and how that person got there. In some cases, they were outraged by their representative’s views, although many voters had to acknowledge they had little or no knowledge of those views when that person was elected.

Some Lawrence residents will have another opportunity this year to vote for a member of the state school board, but the situation is a little confusing. Lawrence School District 497 had been included in the state school board’s 3rd District, represented by John Bacon of Olathe. But, along with congressional and state legislative districts, state school board districts also were redrawn by the Kansas Legislature this year.

And guess what? The Lawrence school district now is split between two state school board districts, the 1st and the 4th. The 1st District, currently represented by Democrat Janet Waugh of Kansas City, Kan., covers the section of the district that is east of E. 1400 Road and north of Sixth Street. The western section of the district lies in the 4th District, currently represented by Democrat Bill Wagnon of Topeka.

Waugh’s term expires this year. She has filed for re-election and, so far, is unopposed. The filing deadline is Monday. Wagnon was re-elected in 2000 and has another two years in his term.

The lesson that Kansas voters hopefully learned during the recent controversies surrounding the school board is that it’s important to know who is serving on this board and where they stand on key issues of concern to Kansans. Too often, voters go to the polls with little or no knowledge of who they will support for the important state school board posts. They cast a vote based on name recognition, incumbency or political party rather than any knowledge of where the person stands philosophically.

It would be disappointing if Monday’s filing deadline fails to produce any choice for voters in the school board’s 1st District. As in any political race, if choices are provided, local voters must be responsible for evaluating those choices and making an educated voting decision.

Don’t be caught a year or two from now wondering who that person who represents you on the state school board is and why you didn’t know more about them before.