Lawrence resident Tyler Palmer is throwing his hat into the ring, announcing his candidacy for a seat on the Lawrence school board.

Palmer, 38, works as a network engineer at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. A spot on the board would be his first involvement with the local school district.

“As important as education is to the well-being of the community, I just wanted to be more actively engaged in making sure we have a strong school system,” he said.

Palmer lives at 4818 Hallbrook Drive. He is single without children, though he says growing up with a sister 18 years his junior exposed him to many parenting experiences.

Palmer, who holds a master’s degree from KU, sees education as more than just teaching reading, writing and math. He said he sees value and necessity in critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

As a member of the Lawrence school board, Palmer said, he would work with everyone to help meet challenges proposed budget cuts would present to ensure the school system stayed ahead.

“I want to make sure that even with cuts, we figure out how to meet the funding challenges locally,” Palmer said. “We need to support as many students as we can.”

Palmer, a product of secondary education, said it’s important for Lawrence’s students to have the same opportunities available to them.