Tony Lefler: Addressing problems at South Lane schools

CANDIDATE COLUMN

I grew up in Cottage Grove. I attended 12 years through SLSD, graduating in 1988. I married my best friend, Tina, in 1991. We have two kids, one is 34, the other is 32. We now have five grandkids in the district. 

Family is very important part of my life; I feel family is a very important part in a young person’s life too. I am running because I want to see better communication and transparency between the schools and the families. We have nothing to hide. Everyone’s main goals are to have children learn as much as they can and prepare them for the world so they can thrive and be successful in life. 

I started my career out of high school, going to work for Les Schwab. I have worked for Les Schwab for 15-plus years. Here I learned a lot about how to take care of people and how to work hard. I eventually left Les Schwab to spend more time with my family. I found a new job in Cottage Grove at Brad’s Chevrolet. After four months, I was promoted to Service Manager. Eighteen years later, I am still there learning something new every day. 

In my role as a service manager, I encounter a problem every day. That problem is that someone’s second-biggest investment is broken down. I have learned to take these problems straight on, get them fixed and handled, and move on to the next problem. 

This mindset is the same we need at the school board. We need someone to look at the problem, address the problem, and fix the problem. While doing this, take in all the facts and information to determine the best outcome for our kids. 

At the federal level, the state level, and even at the local level, our kids are failing. Test scores show this. What we are doing now is not working. Our teachers need to be able to teach. Every classroom is different. You have to let your teacher have the ability to teach. Keep all other agendas out of the classroom, period. School work only. 

So if you want change, please vote for me.