Editor,

I endorse Nickole Aguilar Garcia for school board, as I have personally worked with her to organize a summer school at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Two years ago, Nickole was tasked with collaborating with scientists like me to run the lab’s summer school program. Nickole did an amazing job helping scientists to run multiple summer schools that encompassed a diverse group of students from all over the world. Nickole was always extremely helpful, and she worked hard to ensure that the summer schools were a success. In addition to Nickole, I also endorse Rick Mooday and Paul Jaramillo for school board, as all three candidates support traditional education, as I elaborate below.

Some background about myself: I am a quantum physicist at LANL, and I am a world-leading researcher in quantum computing. Education runs in my family, as my mom is a nursing professor and my sister is a math professor. My education includes a masters degree in biochemistry from Cambridge as a Churchill scholar, a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Berkeley, and multiple postdocs in quantum physics from various universities. My deep passion for education is what inspired my leading of LANL’s quantum summer school. Given my three young children, I have a vested interest in the outcome of this school board election.

What is this election really about? It is about traditional education versus activism-based education. Critical race theory and gender theory are sweeping across the nation. Polls show that parents overwhelmingly oppose the teaching of these theories in the classroom. However, activist school boards are forcing these theories into schools against the wishes of parents and teachers (See for example Loudoun County, Virginia). Nickole, Rick, and Paul support the traditional education that we all had as kids – the same education that creates the world’s best scientists, doctors, and engineers. In contrast, their opponents want to inject political activism into the classroom. Such activism amounts to indoctrination and brainwashing of our children. Moreover, it steals valuable time away from actual learning. Please vote to empower our parents and teachers, not activist school boards, to decide what education our children need. 

Patrick Coles