I am incredibly disappointed in the Board of Education’s decision to surrender to the NAACP’s legal demands and adopt a district voting scheme for Fayette County’s Board of Education.
We are a relatively small county both by population and geography, and I have always strongly believed that at-large voting is right for Fayette County because it ensures our County Commission and Board of Education members are accountable to every voter in the county.
As a result of the BOE entering into this settlement agreement the voters of Fayette County will now only be able to vote for one board member, rather than five as we have historically been able to vote for.
Further, because this settlement was reached as part of federal litigation, there is nothing that can be done by the legislature or voters of this county to undo this very bad decision.
I do not, in any way, agree with the suggestion that we were in a sure losing position from a legal standpoint and believe the proper course would have been to vigorously defend this lawsuit.
Some fights are worth fighting and to unconditionally surrender and say there wasn’t money to defend the suit will only embolden groups with extreme political agendas to seek to impose their will via the courts when they know they cannot succeed at the ballot box.
As a parent of children in our local public schools, perhaps what is most disturbing is that the new school board chairman that was appointed by the other members of the School Board has never been before the voters, and because of this decision (which he supported), 80 percent of the county will never have the opportunity to vet him at the ballot box and make a decision as to whether he shares our values or not and is the right person to make decisions of profound importance to our children and their future.
I believe parents and concerned citizens alike will be very, very troubled by this turn of events.
Matthew L. Ramsey
Peachtree City, Ga.
[Ramsey was first elected to the District 72 post in December 2007. He is a law partner with Warner, Hooper, and Ramsey, P.C., in Peachtree City. His email is matt.ramsey@house.ga.gov.]
