Should school boards be nonpartisan?  The answer in Georgia is mixed.  Right now, it is up to local communities to decide if they want their school boards to be nonpartisan.  The Trion City School Board is nonpartisan but the Chattooga County School Board isn’t.

According to the Georgia School Board Association, 109 of the state’s 180 school districts have non-partisan board elections. GSBA members, however, would like for that to be the case statewide.

“The children aren’t Democrats or Republicans. They’re children there to get an education and the school board has been elected to provide that opportunity for them,” said Angela Palm with the GSBA.

Some lawmakers aren’t keen on changing the current setup, saying the decision should be made at the local level – not by state lawmakers. A senate committee is studying the idea of nonpartisan elections statewide.

Currently, the Chattooga Board of Education is made of up two elected Republicans – Brad Hayes and B.J. Montgomery and one elected Democrat – BOE Chairman Eddie Elsberry.  Two board members have been appointed – Spencer Hogg and Lyn Hall.