Oak Harbor residents should seriously considering putting a contrary voice on the school board.

That voice belongs to Bill Burnett, who is running against David Sherman for position 2, the only contested seat in the Nov. 6 election.

As readers of this newspaper know, Burnett has been a critic of the school district for years, taking issue with various spending, construction and curriculum decisions. He’s well informed and represents a sizable percentage of voters in the community who have issues with the school district.

David Sherman is a fine fellow, but lacks spark, toes the party line on education issues and avoids tough questions. He puts his own kids in private school and then wants to serve on the public school board. It’s hard to imagine him bringing much new to the discussion.

Burnett knows the issues and will make the school board more inclusive than it is now. And if the board can get his backing for future levy and bond issues, it will add a great deal of community support in the process.

Burnett’s contrary but smart, and particularly concerned about math instruction. If elected, he will at least liven up the discussions at the dreary school board meetings.