The Charlottesville-Albemarle branch of the NAACP voted unanimously last week to endorse a referendum which would establish an elected primary and secondary school board in Charlottesville.
Currently, the City Council appoints school board members. If the referendum, which will be on the Nov. 8 ballot, passes, the first school board elections will be held in May.
Proponents of the referendum said having an elected school board would increase the accountability of the body, which, aside from funding, is now independent of City Council.
"I think an elected school board will be more responsible to the public, will operate more transparently and will enjoy greater support for policies and therefore be more effective," University History Prof. Jeffrey Rossman said.
Rossman coordinated the referendum initiative with City Councilor Rob Schilling.
Schilling said an elected school board not only would be more effective but also would reverse a history of discrimination in Virginia, dating back to a law that prohibited school board elections to prevent African-Americans from holding office.
"The law was made in this state and this state only to outlaw elected school boards to keep Africans-American off school boards," Schilling said. "It's a shameful and disgusting history."
According to Schilling, despite the law, Virginia cities have been able to decide to elect their school board members since the early 1990s. He added that 96 percent of the nation's and 78 percent of Commonwealth's school districts elect school board members, and he said he feels it would be a good move for Charlottesville.
Some City Council members said they believe an elected school board could actually limit its diversity.
"First of all, I think [the referendum] has a good chance of passing," City Mayor David Brown said. "With that said, I am not a big fan of an elected school board mainly because I feel like the pool of people willing to run is much smaller than the group of people willing to be appointed. I have a concern because I think that City Council has tried hard to recruit and have minority candidates on the school board."
Brown also said the referendum would not necessarily increase the school board's effectiveness.
"I don't know how much more accountable it would be," he said. "It is accountable only if the person on the City Council wanted to remain on the Council."
Schilling said he believes concerns about the diversity of the school board are invalid, especially after the NAACP supported the referendum.
"The unanimous endorsement of the referendum by the local NAACP shows that the African-American community itself does not have those concerns," Schilling said. "I think that City councilors are concerned with their own powers of appointment. Some of them will say they are concerned with diversity, but the NAACP has endorsed this. They are saying this is the right thing for the community. I think the majority of the Council is acting out of fear, and they are concerned about change."
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