Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bill To Stagger Terms On WS/FC School Board Surprises Some Members

KERI BROWN/WFDD

A statehouse bill introduced last week would mandate staggered terms for members of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. This came as news to some board members.

The bill was introduced by Reps. Donny Lambeth and Lee Zachary. It comes at a time when all nine members of the school board are up for election during the four-year election cycle. 

Lambeth served 18 years on the school board before running for his seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives. He says that having districts stagger terms is a common practice, and calls it “good public policy to not have all board members elected at the same time.” 

He says he's discussed the legislation with Superintendent Tricia McManus and several board members.

But the Winston-Salem Journal reports at least five board members say Lambeth never told them about the bill. Member Elisabeth Motsinger told the newspaper that while she supports the idea, all board members should have been notified, calling it an issue of respect.

The legislation, which would only affect Forsyth County,  is expected to go before a committee in the next few weeks. The next election is in 2022. 

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate