THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 14, 1996 TAG: 9601120212
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
U.S. Justice Department approval of Portsmouth's plan to hold at-large elections for the School Board clears the way for a fall ballot. That's good news for an overwhelming majority of citizens who voted to elect the board.
Despite some local sentiment to have members elected by districts, the city's record of electing blacks to public office on an at-large basis obviously convinced the Justice Department to sanction citywide elections.
There is no reason to have school board members representing districts in a city as small as Portsmouth. Rather all members should be concerned with the quality of all schools. To set them against each other by having them depend on the votes of a small number of people within a district with an ax to grind could do a great deal of damage to the public schools.
Should those who disagree attempt to change the ruling, the elections could be delayed for a year or more.
Perhaps a better course of action would be to wait until after the first election of a school board to see what happens.
In the meantime, citizens concerned about the schools should try to find candidates with good vision to run for the board. by CNB