Dear Editor,

As you might expect from someone who once worked as the homeless education director for Danville Schools, Steve Becker has a big heart for kids who face hardships at home that affect their work in school.

“It’s not a fair world out there and the ones that suffer the most are the kids,” Becker said at a recent forum for the five candidates to fill three seats on the Danville school board.

Becker is the only current board member among the five candidates, and he has a long record of service to the Danville schools. He has served on the board for a total of 12 years, and he was a founding director of the Danville/Boyle County Scholarship Foundation, which has awarded $385,000 to local students since 2004. Steve and his wife, Mimi, a retired teacher, also have been generous patrons of many local arts events in the community.

Becker has been a tireless advocate for making sure that all students get the education they need and deserve, and he has been a strong supporter of classroom teachers. One of his goals is the allocation of an additional $500,000 directly to academic and classroom needs.

Steve has a business background and a good relationship with a broad spectrum of people in this community. He correctly pointed out at the forum that historically strong community support is one of the school system’s greatest assets, and he pledged to continue to work to strengthen that relationship.

Voters should return this steadfast booster for all Danville kids to another term on the school board.

John T. Davis

Danville