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State Senate Passes Bill To Revamp Wake County School Board

NC Legislative building
NC General Assembly

State lawmakers in the Senate have approved a bill that would change how leaders of the Wake County school board are elected.

Senate Bill 325 would scrap the current boundaries for board seats. It would also move board elections from odd to even-numbered years, when voters choose their representatives in Congress and the General Assembly.

The measure's Republican sponsors say that change would increase turnout in school board elections. But Democrats, including Senator Josh Stein, say the measure is designed to help Republicans regain control of the school board.

"This legislation is about a Republican majority in the General Assembly inserting itself into local affairs in order to exact partisan payback. This is not what we should be doing as it relates to school boards. We should be focused on the kids," says Stein.

The measure would also turn two of the board's nine seats into regional districts. It passed 33-17 along party lines. It now goes to the state House.

Jessica Jones covers both the legislature in Raleigh and politics across the state. Before her current assignment, Jessica was given the responsibility to open up WUNC's first Greensboro Bureau at the Triad Stage in 2009. She's a seasoned public radio reporter who's covered everything from education to immigration, and she's a regular contributor to NPR's news programs. Jessica started her career in journalism in Egypt, where she freelanced for international print and radio outlets. After stints in Washington, D.C. with Voice of America and NPR, Jessica joined the staff of WUNC in 1999. She is a graduate of Yale University.
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