Arlington School Board Caucus

[Anonymous]

NAACP wants to end the caucus to get their Education Chair elected.
APE wants to end the caucus to get one of their fake Dems elected.
Arlington GOP wants to end the caucus for obvious reasons.

What’s in it for the Arlington Dems to end this? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

That they will stop alienating a bunch of people who other identify as Democrats? If the local NAACP fully turns on them, the Arlington Democrats will have problems.

Integrity of a system where school board seats are supposed to be nonpartisan? It would be nice if they pretended to care about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That they will stop alienating a bunch of people who other identify as Democrats? If the local NAACP fully turns on them, the Arlington Democrats will have problems.

Integrity of a system where school board seats are supposed to be nonpartisan? It would be nice if they pretended to care about that.

1) Education is not non-partisan when one party has made it their national strategy to systematically defund schools, ban the teaching of anything except for white dominant colonial history, and put LGBTQ kids through needless trauma in an already traumatic world all under the guise of “free speech”
2) The Virginia code doesn’t actually say anywhere that School Boards are non-partisan

Your point is moot

[Anonymous]

Defund schools? How about actually educate kids?

One party made it their platform to keep schools closed.

Same party wants to mask vaccinated second graders forever.

I’d prefer my school board to be non-partisan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Defund schools? How about actually educate kids?

One party made it their platform to keep schools closed.

Same party wants to mask vaccinated second graders forever.

I’d prefer my school board to be non-partisan.

Ugh. So much stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That they will stop alienating a bunch of people who other identify as Democrats? If the local NAACP fully turns on them, the Arlington Democrats will have problems.

Integrity of a system where school board seats are supposed to be nonpartisan? It would be nice if they pretended to care about that.

1) Education is not non-partisan when one party has made it their national strategy to systematically defund schools, ban the teaching of anything except for white dominant colonial history, and put LGBTQ kids through needless trauma in an already traumatic world all under the guise of “free speech”
2) The Virginia code doesn’t actually say anywhere that School Boards are non-partisan

Your point is moot

Actually, pursuant to section 22.1-57.3.E, all candidates for school board must be independent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Defund schools? How about actually educate kids?

One party made it their platform to keep schools closed.

Same party wants to mask vaccinated second graders forever.

I’d prefer my school board to be non-partisan.

Ugh. So much stupid.

Totally. It was stupid. Our kids stuck behind laptops while Europe and red states open schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That they will stop alienating a bunch of people who other identify as Democrats? If the local NAACP fully turns on them, the Arlington Democrats will have problems.

Integrity of a system where school board seats are supposed to be nonpartisan? It would be nice if they pretended to care about that.

1) Education is not non-partisan when one party has made it their national strategy to systematically defund schools, ban the teaching of anything except for white dominant colonial history, and put LGBTQ kids through needless trauma in an already traumatic world all under the guise of “free speech”
2) The Virginia code doesn’t actually say anywhere that School Boards are non-partisan

Your point is moot

Actually, pursuant to section 22.1-57.3.E, all candidates for school board must be independent.

Actually, that part of the code only says they need to be nominated by petition, a process that is open to all sorts of political parties and political persuasions.

Virginia Code § 22.1-57.3.E provides, “In order to have their names placed on the ballot, all [school board] candidates shall be nominated only by petition as provided by general law pursuant to § 24.2-506.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NAACP wants to end the caucus to get their Education Chair elected.
APE wants to end the caucus to get one of their fake Dems elected.
Arlington GOP wants to end the caucus for obvious reasons.

What’s in it for the Arlington Dems to end this? What am I missing?

Bet you are one of the people who said because some minority families wanted remote no one should go back.

Interesting you choose to ignore POC now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That they will stop alienating a bunch of people who other identify as Democrats? If the local NAACP fully turns on them, the Arlington Democrats will have problems.

Integrity of a system where school board seats are supposed to be nonpartisan? It would be nice if they pretended to care about that.

1) Education is not non-partisan when one party has made it their national strategy to systematically defund schools, ban the teaching of anything except for white dominant colonial history, and put LGBTQ kids through needless trauma in an already traumatic world all under the guise of “free speech”
2) The Virginia code doesn’t actually say anywhere that School Boards are non-partisan

Your point is moot

Actually, pursuant to section 22.1-57.3.E, all candidates for school board must be independent.

Actually, that part of the code only says they need to be nominated by petition, a process that is open to all sorts of political parties and political persuasions.

Virginia Code § 22.1-57.3.E provides, “In order to have their names placed on the ballot, all [school board] candidates shall be nominated only by petition as provided by general law pursuant to § 24.2-506.”

Did you bother to look at 24.2-506? It’s in the chapter on independent candidates. Do you really think Arlington Dems and all of the other local parties in Virginia don’t nominate candidates for school board because they’re just not as smart as you and don’t realize they can?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That they will stop alienating a bunch of people who other identify as Democrats? If the local NAACP fully turns on them, the Arlington Democrats will have problems.

Integrity of a system where school board seats are supposed to be nonpartisan? It would be nice if they pretended to care about that.

1) Education is not non-partisan when one party has made it their national strategy to systematically defund schools, ban the teaching of anything except for white dominant colonial history, and put LGBTQ kids through needless trauma in an already traumatic world all under the guise of “free speech”
2) The Virginia code doesn’t actually say anywhere that School Boards are non-partisan

Your point is moot

Actually, pursuant to section 22.1-57.3.E, all candidates for school board must be independent.

Actually, that part of the code only says they need to be nominated by petition, a process that is open to all sorts of political parties and political persuasions.

Virginia Code § 22.1-57.3.E provides, “In order to have their names placed on the ballot, all [school board] candidates shall be nominated only by petition as provided by general law pursuant to § 24.2-506.”

That is about getting on the ballot at all. It’s 125 signatures for school board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NAACP wants to end the caucus to get their Education Chair elected.
APE wants to end the caucus to get one of their fake Dems elected.
Arlington GOP wants to end the caucus for obvious reasons.

What’s in it for the Arlington Dems to end this? What am I missing?

Because they can't keep claiming to be Democrats and have liberal values but at the same time ensuring only rich white people are involved in not only the school board but are the ones who are participating in the voting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NAACP wants to end the caucus to get their Education Chair elected.
APE wants to end the caucus to get one of their fake Dems elected.
Arlington GOP wants to end the caucus for obvious reasons.

What’s in it for the Arlington Dems to end this? What am I missing?

Because they can't keep claiming to be Democrats and have liberal values but at the same time ensuring only rich white people are involved in not only the school board but are the ones who are participating in the voting.

I vehemently oppose the ACDC's school board influence. However, if you're suggesting they ensure only their "rich white people" are involved in the SB, have you looked at the SB? It isn't about selecting their preferred white folks - it's about selecting their preferred active party members who toe the (Arlington Democratic) party line. How is it that you think they work to make sure rich white people participate in the voting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NAACP wants to end the caucus to get their Education Chair elected.
APE wants to end the caucus to get one of their fake Dems elected.
Arlington GOP wants to end the caucus for obvious reasons.

What’s in it for the Arlington Dems to end this? What am I missing?

Nothing, really. (But it would save time and money not having to hold a caucus.)
In fact, they really stand to lose much more than they would gain as a party. More people would be willing to participate not just in SB races and debates, but in the ACDC itself. But ACDC doesn't really want that. If more people come in, you risk a wider range of views and current ACDC leadership and loyalists risk losing control.

Nevertheless, eliminating the "endorsement" process would benefit Arlington by enabling more people to get on the ballot. Hatch Act precludes very qualified, knowledgeable, passionate federal employees from running because you don't stand a chance without the ACDC's "endorsement" so they don't bother. And, if you don't win the caucus, you can't continue to run because part of the deal of participating in the caucus is being precluded from getting your name on the November ballot. That's what makes this a nomination process, not an endorsement process. ACDC would do Arlington a far greater service if they just held a debate for ALL the candidates and let whoever qualifies to get their name on the ballot to get their name on the ballot. If they really must, they could actually do a real endorsement of one candidate like AEA does. That would still lead ACDC loyalists to just vote for that candidate; but it would also at least give other democrat candidates a shot, as people can choose for themselves which candidate to actually vote for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NAACP wants to end the caucus to get their Education Chair elected.
APE wants to end the caucus to get one of their fake Dems elected.
Arlington GOP wants to end the caucus for obvious reasons.

What’s in it for the Arlington Dems to end this? What am I missing?

Nothing, really. (But it would save time and money not having to hold a caucus.)
In fact, they really stand to lose much more than they would gain as a party. More people would be willing to participate not just in SB races and debates, but in the ACDC itself. But ACDC doesn't really want that. If more people come in, you risk a wider range of views and current ACDC leadership and loyalists risk losing control.

Nevertheless, eliminating the "endorsement" process would benefit Arlington by enabling more people to get on the ballot. Hatch Act precludes very qualified, knowledgeable, passionate federal employees from running because you don't stand a chance without the ACDC's "endorsement" so they don't bother. And, if you don't win the caucus, you can't continue to run because part of the deal of participating in the caucus is being precluded from getting your name on the November ballot. That's what makes this a nomination process, not an endorsement process. ACDC would do Arlington a far greater service if they just held a debate for ALL the candidates and let whoever qualifies to get their name on the ballot to get their name on the ballot. If they really must, they could actually do a real endorsement of one candidate like AEA does. That would still lead ACDC loyalists to just vote for that candidate; but it would also at least give other democrat candidates a shot, as people can choose for themselves which candidate to actually vote for.

Agree with all of this except that an endorsement (w/o a caucus) should not be put on a sample ballot. The AEA is not handing out sample ballots, which mislead voters that the the endorsee is the one true Dem selected by the voters.