THIS FALL, Bob Schaffer is again making the rounds of the 4th Congressional District that extends down Colorado's Eastern Plains. His mission is new.

The former three-term congressman and one-time U.S. Senate hopeful from Fort Collins seeks to retain the 4th District seat on the state Board of Education.

Ten months ago Mr. Schaffer accepted an appointment to the board following the resignation of Clair Orr of Kersey. He's now running for a full six-year term. One of the state's top advocates for school reforms, Mr. Schaffer has long been a champion of charter schools and other parental choice initiatives.

Schaffer, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Tom Griggs, a professor of education at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. They are competing for one of three seats up for grabs on the seven-member board. The other two races are in the 2nd and 7th congressional districts in the Denver metro area.

Fourth District voters strongly supported Mr. Schaffer as a congressman, where he focused on education, rural America and limits on government. They elected him to three straight terms before he stepped aside in 2003 to fulfill a term-limits pledge. Previously, he spent nine years as a state senator.

Mr. Schaffer and his wife Maureen are the parents of five children. He gets a grade of "A" for public service and commitment to education.

He deserves the 4th District's vote - again.

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