With election day next Tuesday and the first competitive race in six years, the Santa Rosa teachers union is planning to greet students and their parents at the driveways and sidewalks of Santa Rosa City Schools campuses Wednesday morning with signs supporting their slate of candidates for the school board.

The union has backed incumbents Bill Carle and Frank Pugh, as well as retired teacher and political newcomer Ron Kristof.

“Given the hard decisions that will have to be made in the coming year, it will take leaders who understand classroom dynamics to craft a plan for success,” said union president Andy Brennan in a statement.

Wally Lowry, an incumbent who has served since 2002, questioned the union’s endorsement explanation in an interview last week, saying he has spent decades as a business and economics teacher. He is a retired SSU professor.

“I have 32 years of classroom teaching,” he said.

I  was on a campus Tuesday and saw a Ron Kristof sign in the back of a car. Last week, teachers sent out 35,000 postcards highlighting their candidate recommendations, according to the union.

To read more about the school board race, go here http://bit.ly/asQpGcand check out www.watchsonoma.com