Rescheduling the school board meeting from Election Day

You can credit Wake County school board vice chairwoman Debra Goldman for there not being a school board meeting today.

The board traditionally meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. But at Goldman's request, the board agreed to reschedule the Nov. 2 meeting to next Tuesday.

"I have other things that I like to do on Election Day such as vote, work at the polls, a few different things," Goldman said at the June 15 committee of the whole meeting. "We have quite a few board members who are very active so I can tell you right now I won't be here at that meeting."

Goldman also said that it wouldn't be fair to parents who might have to choose between voting and being able to speak at the board meeting on Election Day. She said holding the board meeting on Election Day adds yet another thing for parents to do on the day.

But school board member Anne McLaurin said it doesn't take long to vote. She said it might be different on a presidential election year.

School board member Keith Sutton had argued that people could vote before the meeting starts, either that day or through Early Voting.

The issue had come up as a result of a discussion of a request from the Wake County Board of Elections to start school today on a two-hour delay. Citing lack of flexibility in the schedule, the request was denied but the school board greed to reschedule the Nov. 2 meeting.

Goldman was active at the Early Voting sites, where she campaigned for Cary Town Councilman Don Frantz, the GOP candidate for the state House seat held by Democrat Jennifer Weiss.

One thing to watch is whether the board will do the same thing in 2011 when  school board seats are on the ballot.

Last year, school board member Horace Tart was the only one running for re-election. He skipped the Oct. 6 board meeting as part of his unsuccessful campaign bid.