Education

For 1st Time, House Backs Bill To Allow Election of Some School Boards in Va.

January 30, 1991 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

For the first time in the 16 consecutive years it has been introduced, a bill to allow popular election of some Virginia school boards has cleared the House.

Virginia is the only state that does not permit any elected school boards. Instead, board members are appointed, either by circuit judges or members of local governing boards.

The bill, sponsored by Delegate David G. Brickley, a Northern Virginia Democrat, would allow voters in Virginia Beach, Newport News, and York, Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William counties to decide whether to elect school-board members.

The measure passed the House last week on a 64-to-33 vote, but could face a tough fight in the Senate, according to its sponsor.

“I just believe that it is important that our citizens have direct access to our school-board members, and that direct access can only be achieved through an elected body,” Mr. Brickley said.

“I am not suggesting, nor have I ever, that the educational quality will somehow be miraculously heightened by the passage of this legislation,” he continued, “but there certainly should be much greater responsiveness to the community and the citizens through the passage of this legislation.

In 1947, the legislature passed a measure allowing popularly elected school boards. Arlington County was the only jurisdiction to install such a board, and it was invalidated in the mid-1950’s after board members refused to go along with the state’s policy of “massive resistance” to school desegregation.

The current legislation is backed by the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia Taxpayers Association, and the Virginia Parent-Teacher Association, Mr. Brickley added. It is opposed, however, by the Virginia School Boards Association,L8which argues that the current sys

In opposing the bill, the association has raised several issues, including whether elected school boards also should be given the power to levy taxes, and whether elected school boards would include as many women and minority memL bers as do appointed boards.

Mr. King said that if elected school boards are not given taxing power, then lawmakers should con sider some type of “political account ability” for elected boards. He said that could include requiring that members be chosen from the same political districts from which other representatives are elected.

Giving school boards the power to tax would require a constitutional amendment.--ab

A version of this article appeared in the January 30, 1991 edition of Education Week as For 1st Time, House Backs Bill To Allow Election of Some School Boards in Va.

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read