Most races for elective office draw lots of attention — as well they should.

The candidates we elect to everything from federal and state office down to the smallest panel or board on the local level set policies, enact laws and decide how our money — and how much of it — will be spent.

With formal qualifying for county and local offices still weeks away, those seeking our vote in 2022 are already announcing, holding campaign kickoffs and, of course, raising the money needed to run.

We thank those willing to go through the process of seeking our vote and we herald the importance of the public — and its input at the ballot box — in the process.

Not all public-sector posts of great importance, though, are elected ones. A good many are appointed and there, public accountability is not often direct but through those aforementioned officials we elect.

Case in point:

The School Board of Lee County is nearing the end of its search for a new superintendent of schools, a contract position hired by, and accountable to, the eight-member elected board.

While the School Board sets district policies and approves the district’s near $2 billion budget, the superintendent recommends those policies and formulates that annual budget for board consideration.

It’s an important post, arguably among the top tier of public sector administrative positions in Lee County.

While we, members of the community, do not have a vote, public input is not only possible, it has been solicited.

Through a series of workshops and outreach events, including online surveys, various stakeholders in Lee County — businesses, residents and parents with children in the system — have been asked what qualities, attributes and experience they would like to see in the district’s next superintendent.

And now, with the district down to five semi-finalists for the position, the School Board continues to invite input and will appoint a panel made up of school-based employees, parents and community members to help vet the applicants.

So while the public does not have a vote, we do have a say and that’s still an important role for us to fill if we care about who will lead the ninth largest school district in the state of Florida and the 32nd largest in the U.S.

Consider:

The School District of Lee County is responsible for the education of more than 96,000 students. Our kids. Our grandkids. The next workforce wave.

Each day, more than 49,000 of those children board one of 912 buses and head to school where they are provided with a free breakfast, free lunch and both a core curriculum and best-for-the-student options — everything from individual education plans to accommodate special learning needs to various advanced studies courses.

According to its website, the district employs more than 5,700 teachers at 79 traditional schools, 16 special centers, and 23 charter schools.

It’s a district that has its challenges — everything from today’s learning loss due to COVID to our unique diversity: “Our students speak 133 different languages and are from 150 different countries,” the district’s employment ad states.

Goals are high, efforts concerted, and yet our students’ test scores are, well, far below where they need to be with too many not attaining proficiency in key subject areas like reading and math.

Hiring the right person is, indeed, important.

The five semi-finalists are Christopher Bernier, Michael Gaal, Randy Mahlerwein, Charlie Perry and Michael Ramirez.

Their resumes and information on each can be found on the District website at: https://www.leeschools.net/leadership/school_board/superintendent_search .

The five candidates will be interviewed virtually by the School Board on Jan. 18 and 19. All of the interviews will be posted to the District’s YouTube Channel the evening of the Jan. 19.

Parents and community members are encouraged to watch the interviews and share any feedback they have through the comment section found at the bottom of the Superintendent Search page, district officials said, adding the name of the candidate should be included in the subject line to help them organize the feedback.

We urge those who have kids in Lee’s public schools — and those who pay taxes so that those children get a great education — to provide any input they might have before the board meets on Jan. 24 to narrow the candidate field to three.

If you trust our elected board to do its job in finding the best-qualified candidate, that’s fine, too.

Either way, the public does have its say.

–Breeze editorial