Other than "Do Something", change to Board Selection process has no consensus

It seems like the only consensus on changing the school board process is that the process needs to be changed. Scores of local elected official (other than Senator Phil Jimeno, who seems to think the status quo is fine) have agreed that the process needs to be changed, but there is litttle if any consensus for what that change should be.

John Leopold's flawed bill is still this flavor of the week during this legislative session. Five Republican delegates have suggested a straw vote regarding a fully elected board. Jim Snider wants a panel of "informed citizens" to replace the current process. Speaker Mike Busch has unveiled a similar idea with his call for a new county commission to do it. And Janet Owens wants to get rid of the board altogether.

The only consensus among most legislators is that something needs to be done. But even that does not carry with it a large public outctry at this moment. The call for change to the nominating process reached its zenith in the Spring of 2002. While there is some belief among the public that a change is necessary, there is not an overwhelming call for action. Even those that are calling for action disagree as to what the replace system should entail.

All of this leads one to beleive that, once again, the status quo will in fact remain the same. Only once the County Delegation can agree on a solution that is agreeable to all parties will a bill actually be able to see the light of day.