Ken,Thank you for your email. My team and I began research in January to develop a comprehensive education platform for the campaign. I began attending education speeches, forums and other education-related symposiums years before the thought of launching a bid for the Washington County Board of Education was even a remote thought. My platform, ideas and vision for our Washington County Board of Education are exclusively organic and authentic.In the research process, my team and I read literally hundreds of pages of white papers, education position papers, education websites and we spoke with education experts, teachers, administrators, school support staff and many others who provided context to build a cohesive education platform. I developed these ideas into sub points and constructed my vision for our school system based upon the research we conducted.I recognize some of the parallels from the websites you provided, and based upon the snippets we certainly did agree with the technology segment and incorporated similar ideas into our own platform. When I began exploring Common Core, I read each individual standard and thus began my concerns with what I believe to be inherent flaws within the standards. I found examples during our research process how our exact feelings and sentiments reflected that of many others. We were in contact with many education expects and discussed different ways to present our message about local control as it relates to the formation and implementation of Common Core. But again, my ideas are my own ideas and I have put those ideas to the test since February 25, 2014, when I became a candidate for the Washington County Board of Education.Three of my opponents and their henchmen have focused almost entirely on destroying my credibility as a candidate using disgusting and underhanded tactics to degrade me personally and distract from the same issues that my opponents refused to discuss at an open forum. Instead, my opponents hold secret meetings and form dormant closeted agendas that will likely be executed should they be elected. My opponents have no vision for our school system, which is evident by their lackadaisical and sleepy performances during the one forum they actually bothered to show up to and address voters. The Slate members are the least transparent candidates in the history of school board candidates in Washington County and they are being supported by a special interest group who has ignored their abject failures and clear lack of any coherent vision aside from their manufactured conflict between teachers and administrators. While two other candidates and myself are out in the public discussing our vision with voters, the Slate and their cohorts have been spreading venom and unleashing vile attacks on anyone who even slightly disagrees with whatever message they pretend to purport.Washington County is still waiting on what exactly the Slate and their supporters hope to accomplish. Does The Slate attempt to oust the superintendent? Will they ignore the interests of our students and instead push through their skewed personal agendas? Will the directly involve themselves in the day-to-day operations of our school system? What will be their role in the budget process? What business experience do they have that will be used to guide their decisions on the board? Every day, more questions are left unanswered and The Slate is not the least bit interested in working to provide interested voters with the answers. Moreover, the Slate and their social media friends have no interest in actually discussing issues; instead, they are more concerned about highlighting my past indiscretions and spreading misinformation about my character.The opposition formed against me has been bordering hysteria and they are clearly grasping at straws. We are focused our GOTV efforts in the next eight days. While my opponents and their echo chambers are obviously still immersed in the inconsequential drama of this race, I am making thousands of phone calls, knocking on doors and bringing my message directly to the voters of Washington County. I would suggest my opponents and their social media warriors actually learn how to a run campaign on ideas and focus on our kids instead of spending so much time and exerting energy to manufacture inane controversies like this one.There are eight days until November 4. I hope my opponents are spending their time contributing to the education conversation. For the Slate and their social media friends, this race isn't about what’s best for our students, it’s about satisfying a personal vendetta against me and stooping so low as to target my family, my girlfriend and her two children we are raising. My opponents and their flunkies have no shame in their actions. I pray for them.Ryan Miner
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