Turn Out For The Vote

Voters in wards 1 & 2 can cast ballots Tuesday in a special election to fill the District 1 vacancy on the D.C. State Board of Education.

West End resident Mary Lord is running unopposed for the seat, which became vacant in the spring when Jeff Smith resigned.  Ms. Lord is the mother of an eighth-grader at Alice Deal Middle School, as well as an 11th-grader at Maret School.  She has written extensively on education issues for publications such as U.S. News & World Report, the Boston Globe and the American Society of Engineering Education's Prism Magazine.

One of her priorities is new standards for instruction in the arts and foreign languages.  Ms. Lord also notes the value of vocational and career training in improving job prospects for students who are not planning to attend college.

We believe she will be a worthwhile addition to the board, which continues to have a key role in setting curricula and standards even with the new governance structure that put the mayor in charge of running the school system.

The timing of the election in the depths of the August vacation season is unfortunate.  High turnout seems unlikely.

But we believe it is important that registered voters take the time to vote in this election.  Those who will not be in town on Election Day can vote before then by absentee ballot at the Board of Elections and Ethics during office hours.

Doing so would show that we take public education seriously, as well as civic responsibility.  To squander an opportunity to vote provides fodder for those in Congress who argue against full voting rights for District residents.

That said, we believe that the D.C. Council should consider adjusting the procedure for filling vacancies on the State Board of Education.  While it is useful to have elected members, we do not believe that it is necessary to go to the expense of holding special elections.  Instead, leaders should establish a process for the appointment of temporary members to serve until the next regularly schedules elections.

Editorial, Dupont Current, Wednesday, August 15, 2007