Our view: Residents will need to be convinced that the schools both need and are worthy of their support.

Lake Elsinore schools don't enjoy the same reputation as their cohorts to the south in Temecula and Murrieta, yet voters in the district seem surprisingly content with the people who lead them.

Until a few years ago when two Lake Elsinore Unified School District board members voluntarily left -- one to the state Board of Education, the other to the county board -- the five people who ran Lake Elsinore schools had served together for more than a decade, and a couple of them much longer than that.

One of those stalwarts, Richard Jenkins, chose not to seek re-election this year after 18 years on the board, opening the door for some proverbial new blood -- but only two challengers stepped forward, saying something about the level of satisfaction within the district.

The two incumbents seeking re-election, Sonja Wilson and Tom Thomas, have both served the area's schools well -- Wilson for 30 years, predating the unified district itself, and Thomas for 2 1/2 years.

There's no disputing Wilson's commitment to schools, but the longtime trustee is more than just the self-proclaimed district "grandma." She visits schools regularly, listens to teachers, administrators and parents alike, and has a strong grasp of the issues facing the district and good ideas for dealing with them.

While Thomas is new to the school board, he is anything but to the community, where the 30-year resident has a long history of involvement, most prominently with the long-running Cops 4 Kids program. A fast learner, he has brought a useful business background and strong leadership skills to the board, which he has led for two years.

Kim Joseph Cousins hasn't been around quite as long -- only since 1990 -- but he brings similarly strong credentials. Recently hired to lead the Lake Elsinore Chamber of Commerce, he has 25 years of marketing and accounting background. He is well-versed in the issues facing the district and is a big supporter of vocational education. His role on the chamber puts him in a unique position to bring schools and local businesses together.

There's no question Lake Elsinore schools face challenges. While some of the district's schools in the newer more upscale parts of the community rival the area's best in test scores, a handful in the older parts of town routinely lag and find themselves on the feds' No Child Left Behind watch list. The district has made some strides in addressing those shortcomings, but much more remains to be done.

Growth has also finally discovered this town midway between the hot spots of Temecula and Corona, and the district will need to find a way to finance some schools in a community historically averse to school bonds. Residents will need to be convinced that the schools both need and are worthy of their support.

The district is moving in the right direction. Wilson, Thomas and Cousins should continue it on that path.