THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 29, 1995 TAG: 9510270182
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 30 lines
Despite some attempts to derail them, a majority of City Council members stood firm on a plan to conduct this city's first School Board election on a citywide basis. They did the right thing.
With a long history of bad blood over the closing of two too many high schools and of some rancor over a partial return to neighborhood schools, this city could be devastated by a school board with each member representing one small district.
People elected from a district tend to represent that district only, making decisions with limited vision. And sometimes they become even more near-sighted by representing one small faction of the citizenry, regardless of the facts.
With everything that is going on in our schools right now, we don't need the problems that would come with district election of school board members. We need a board that can act for the good of the whole school system, not one tied up in knots over proposals that affect only one small neighborhood. by CNB