The question of whether the Charlottesville School Board should be elected will be on the November ballot. A press release issued today by the folks who have spearheaded the movement says that the Charlottesville registrar, Sheri Iachetta, certified that 10% of registered voters had signed the petition, validating its place on the ballot. Virginia referenda generally pass, so this is likely the first major step towards moving to an elected school board.
The concept of an elected school board is one that started among Republicans a few years ago. They were unable to get any traction until the Scottie Griffin saga, which left many community members unhappy with the school board. From there, the floodgates opened.
Coincidentally, it was just this week that the news emerged that Portsmouth is looking to move back to an appointed school board, in an effort to repair the combative, racially divided board. The board has recently been caught up in a legal battle over their choice of superintendent. If they succeed, they’d be the first Virginia municipality to revert to an appointed school board since elected school boards became an option in 1992.
08/10 Update: James Fernald has a story in today’s Daily Progress.
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