April BOE Elections Will Shorten Terms

Among other ramifications of changing the school board elections back to April after four years of November elections, all board members who won three-year terms in the past three years would find their terms shortened by about eight months.

The phenomenon is the opposite of what happened to April winners in the three years preceding the change - they all had eight months more to serve than they bargained for.

Here are the affected November winners who took office on Jan. 1 of the following year:

2015 Board of Education
Richard Wyatt Jr. 1,641
John C. Campbell 1,831
Emily Morgan 1,797

2014 Board of Education
David M. Rutherford 2,379
Carletta D. Jeffers 2,318
Terrence S. Bellamy Sr. 2,012

2013 Board of Education
Wilma G. CAMPBELL 2,500
 Frederick D. MOORE, SR. 1,520
Deborah CLARKE 1,615

While voters whose choices prevailed in the three elections preceding the 2012 change got a "freebie" in terms of extra representation, voters who backed the individuals above may feel short-changed - except supporters of any who might win re-election in April.

For those who missed it, here is a summary of important dates for an April BOE election.

Seasoned campaigners such as Wilma Campbell could enjoy an advantage in a return to April elections, as newcomers would have to hustle to put together funding and backers for a campaign in the spring. Some potential candidates may even think they still have until the end of July to get ready to file.

The change might also challenge organizations that usually hold forums or otherwise try to educate voters about school board elections.

These factors are in addition to the cost of moving the election, as explained by Councilwoman Rebecca Williams on her blog.

We should know by the end of January whether or not the move will go through. If you know anyone who has been thinking of running for the school board, alert them now to pay attention to this possible change in important election dates.

--Bernice