(Photo: CBS)DOVER, Del. (AP) - A bill moving school board elections in Delaware from May to November has cleared a House committee, despite opposition from the state's education establishment.
Chief sponsor Valerie Longhurst, a Democrat from Bear, says the bill will improve voter turnout for the elections and save money by reducing the number of separate elections.
But opponents said at a hearing Tuesday that the bill will politicize school board elections and increase the cost of school board campaigns. They also fear that local education issues will get lost in the political debate.
The Delaware School Boards Association and Delaware Association of School Administrators oppose the bill.
A lobbyist for the state teachers union also expressed concern about the legislation, raising the specter of anonymous donors using big money to influence school board elections.
