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City debates school board election process

This past May, Charlottesville accomplished a first when it held elections at-large, in lieu of an established appointment model, for the City School Board. Shortly thereafter, a School Board Elections Study Task Force was appointed, and on Monday, August 7, task force Chairman Lloyd Snook stepped forward with its recommendations for the next elections in November.
    Altogether, the task force came up with two potential models. In the first, a ward-based system, residents would vote for a representative from their respective ward, along with three at-large candidates. In the second, known as a “Residential District Model,” residents would vote for three at-large candidates, as well as four representatives from specific districts.
    Snook said that the main difference between the two lies with the latter system, where “everybody votes for everybody.” As both are designed to foster geographical diversity, there didn’t seem to be many other differences. “We found no evidence that any one system correlates to a better school system,” Snook said.
    The Council aired their concerns. “One problem with the election is that a lot of the voters didn’t think they knew enough about the candidates and the issues,” said Councilman Dave Norris. Snook had a possible solution: “Should the City pay for a mail campaign on behalf of all the candidates?”
    Councilman Kevin Lynch disputed Snook’s assertion that the current system should be changed. “Most city residents are satisfied,” Lynch said, then addressed a larger concern, saying socioeconomic diversity was more important than geographical. “A single mom with two kids can’t take time off to serve on the School Board.” Perhaps the pay be raised for those who serve on the School Board, he suggested.
    “I think it matters to have geographic diversity,” countered Mayor David Brown, who was worried that such a system would create more safe seats. In the end, it came down to the same old thing: “There’s a lot more discussion to come on this,” Brown said.

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