THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 1995 TAG: 9501310294
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 84 lines
School Board Chairman James R. Darden resigned Monday.
Darden, who was appointed to the 11-member board by the City Council in January 1994 and then won his seat during the city's first School Board elections in May, said he must step down to meet family obligations.
Darden's daughter has been disabled by serious complications since surgery several months ago, forcing him to devote much of his time to the care of his three grandchildren. He missed a contentious board meeting two weeks ago while he was in North Carolina caring for them.
``I don't want to step away,'' the 59-year-old retired Beach school administrator said in a telephone interview Monday from his daughter's home.
Darden was the first to announce his candidacy for the School Board last spring, and he made no secret that he relished politics.
But he said he promised board members months ago that ``if the time ever came when I could not give what I considered to be 100 percent, that I would step aside.''
Darden notified board members of his decision in a letter Friday. His resignation was effective Monday.
``I'm sure that we are all saddened by this,'' said Board Vice Chairwoman June T. Kernutt, during a special meeting convened Monday night to discuss Darden's departure. ``But I personally respect his decision and recognize that it must have been a difficult one for him to make.''
Board members agreed to follow procedures that call for Kernutt to take over leadership of the board until June, when Darden's term as chairman would have expired. Kernutt is the first woman in city history to head the board, members said.
The board will vote on filling the vice chair position next Tuesday.
Darden's resignation comes at a difficult time for the board, plagued by budget problems and the uncertain fate of another board member, Charles W. Vincent.
Vincent, also elected in May, is awaiting a judge's decision on whether to uphold his conviction on nine counts of state ethics violations. If the conviction is upheld, Vincent could lose his seat on the board, unless he were allowed to keep it during appeals.
Throughout the controversies, Darden struggled to keep the school system on track. After the elections, he pushed new and old board members to agree on a set of priorities, including promoting school safety and increasing services for at-risk students.
He tightened the reins on school spending, initiating a rule that requires board approval for all budget transfers of more than $10,000. He established a budget committee with two board members who are expected to become the board's resident experts on school finance.
Darden said he had not finished all his plans.
``I know there is never a good time for a public official to resign his position,'' he said in his letter. ``However, if public servants do not put their families first, where would our city be?''
Kernutt said she believes that, despite Darden's absence, the board will continue to set a strong course.
``I don't believe the strength of this board lies with the chairman or the vice chairman,'' she said. ``I believe the strength of this board lies with its 11 members.''
Board members wasted no time initiating the process for getting an 11th member. They passed a resolution directed to the judges of the Circuit Court, who, by state law, must choose an interim replacement for Darden from among the qualified voters in his borough, the Lynnhaven borough. In the resolution, the board also asked the judges to move quickly.
According to the law, a majority vote of the judges is needed to select a replacement until a special election is held. If there is a tie, the senior judge would make the appointment.
The City Council must ask the court to schedule a special election for voters to select someone to finish Darden's four-year term, ending in 1998. The special election would be held during the next general election, in May 1996.
The acting board member would serve through that election.
``I'm hoping that the judges will move swiftly,'' Darden said. ``They need to be sure that the individual coming on realizes the time that a board member needs to put in.'' MEMO: The Virginia Beach community news tab will run the text of Darden's
resignation letter Friday.
by CNB