We have received little public input. Almost all of what I have received in terms of public input favors the change. I have read through a lengthy 2005 report by the Loudoun County League of Women Voters and as I did created a pro/con table of the credible and meaningful (to me) arguments that were made for and against staggered terms in the report.
Pro | Con |
Continual referendum, greater citizen voice | More expensive |
Gradual change/continuity, less learning curve | Inconsistency with BoS is not the state standard (cited in three places in VA state code) |
Balance of experience and new ideas | Less electorate interest (undocumented) |
Majority of Virginia localities use staggered terms | More campaigning |
Localities using staggered terms support their continued use | Because voters are more influenced by recent events, legislators not facing reelection often defer to those who are. |
“One hot issue can defeat an entire board.” | Simpler election systems increase voter understanding and participation |
| More attention from press for fewer candidates | Group doesn’t learn to operate as a team. |
In the seven Virginia localities that have converted from concurrent to staggered terms:
- Arguments for and against did not materialize.
- There was no change in voter turnout.
- 4 experienced more board continuity, none reported less.
- More board members explaining themselves to the public more frequently, more visibility for the Board and its decisions.
- Four SB members could run for BOS while not losing SB incumbency. No School Board member has been elected to the Loudoun Board of Supervisors in over 20 years. Few have run. I believe that relationships between the two boards would improve with more Supervisors having School Board experience.
The point about elections becoming more expensive really concerns me. Especially after the Citizens United ruling. Elections to the School Board should be highly accessible to people from all walks of life. They should not be among the elections which require massive fundraising. And staggered terms can lead to that.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, the "more expensive" was not the cost of the campaigns, it was the cost of the conducting the additional election to the locality. In the cases where staggered terms were implemented in Virginia localities, it was not more expensive because there are no additional elections to be held. I probably should have left that one off of the list.
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