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VA Senate blocks amendment to reelect Loudoun Co. School Board
A move by Governor Glenn Youngkin to force Loudoun County's School Board into elections a year ahead of schedule has been defeated.
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - A move by Governor Glenn Youngkin to force Loudoun County's School Board into elections a year ahead of schedule has been defeated.
Virginia's state Senate blocked the proposal that would've thrown the volatile district into an election this November.
Governor Youngkin's proposal would've put all nine members of Loudoun County's School Board up for election this year. The controversial move comes after the governor ordered the attorney general to investigate LCPS' handling of two sexual assaults last year.
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Ian Prior of "Fight For Schools" says his group was hopeful they could vote the board out this year.
"We would have loved nothing more than to have school board elections in 2022 but at the same time it gives us a lot more time to prepare for our clean-slate operation in 2023," Prior says. "We are going to put significant effort into making sure we get a non-partisan school board."
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Loudoun County School Board making headlines after several high-profile meetings
The Loudoun County School Board has made headlines across the country after several high-profile and inflammatory meetings in recent months.
Calls for Loudoun County superintendent, school board members to resign continue
The original bill the governor amended would've created staggered terms for Loudoun's School Board in 2023 – instead of having all nine members up for election every four years. Virginia Democratic State Senator Barbara Favola tells FOX 5 she opposed Youngkin's move because she says voters would have upended an election that was already held.
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"An election cycle is a cycle that is established for a purpose and moreover our school boards are facing incredible challenges and they really have to be focusing on governing the schools, not on gearing up for an early election," Favola says.
LCPS is slated to release a statement on the matter tonight. The governor signaled he will keep pushing for more transparency in schools saying, "Parents have spoken clearly that they want to have a say in their children's education."