Prince William County School Board elected a new chairman Wednesday night. In a hard-line party vote Democrats propped up Babur Lateef, their choice for Board chairman in November’s special election. School Board members do not run with partisan identifiers, however they can seek the endorsement of the local party. In Prince William County the four Democrat endorsed members of the Board all voted for Lateef while the Republican endorsed members voted against.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Prince William County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Card said, “When the Democrats had the opportunity to move the School Board in a less partisan direction, they selected a partisan politician and major donor for controversial former Chair Ryan Sawyers. I’m not sure how the election of Mr. Lateef helps our School Board refocus on students.”
Lateef ran for chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in 2011. He got destroyed by Board Chairman Corey Stewart, losing 58% to only 27%. Never mind the school system, now Lateef is back for another countywide run this fall to fulfill his own political aspirations.
School Board member Willie Deutsch told us, “Instead of our putting our students first, Democrats chose one of the most partisan political candidates possible.”
A more appropriate choice would have been someone with experience in the school system to fill the chair for this interim position and then let the voters decide who they like in the special election this November. But Democrats decided to have a campaign kick-off event Wednesday night by electing Lateef and therefore giving him the free media associated with a sitting elected official. This is shameful politics that puts students second to the partisan political goals of an ambitious office seeker, who is likely using the School Board as a launching pad for higher office.
We need to put the kids first when it comes to who serves on the School Board. Republican backed Alyson Satterwhite, who currently serves on the School Board is a conservative candidate for Board chairman who is there for the students. She is a much more appropriate choice for chairman. Her website is linked here. We’ll have more on her candidacy later as we approach the November elections.
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