THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 18, 1994 TAG: 9412170101
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
The process of appointing new members to the Chesapeake School Board has long been somewhat of a mystery to most of us.
Perfunctory public hearings were held at which candidates and their friends attested to their general character and assured us that they had the best interest of children at heart. After that, the council made its decisions - more often than not, leaning toward those who had demonstrated loyalty to the majority political party.
Whether the council's choices had any particular expertise in public education seemed irrelevant. In fact, some candidates went out of their way to keep their views on education issues under their hat, lest they compromise their chances. A few even bragged that they had no specific agenda in mind for the schools, as if that were a virtue.
We are encouraged, then, that the council has decided to postpone the current round of appointments until personal interviews can be conducted. Nominees will be selected Tuesday from a list of 86 citizens who asked to be considered, but the final decisions won't be made until January.
In the meantime, council members will meet with the nominees individually to ask the kinds of questions that job applicants should expect to have to answer.
We would prefer to have the selection process conducted in full public view. But, until that happens, it's good to know that there will be more careful scrutiny than there has been in the past. by CNB