A good choice

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: September 3, 2008

The Rockingham County school board appears to have made a good choice in Nicole Crews Penn to replace Dr. Jim Austin, who died this spring. The commissioners will probably approve its choice—the lone pick to come from a number of seemingly qualified candidates.
The board interviewed 12 candidates before choosing Penn, who holds a master’s degree and owns a consulting business, in addition to serving on numerous boards in Rockingham County, including Help for the Homeless.
Penn, of Stoneville, has four children. She cares about the county and its students, and she would step onto the board free of political agendas or partisan baggage—obstacles this board has struggled to overcome.
The school board screened several qualified applicants – people with master’s degrees, retired educators, high-level volunteers.
Elaine McCollum, board chair, told us, “We were so fortunate to have such a great group to choose from. It was hard to choose because each of them was very qualified.”
To the board’s credit, members put politics aside to choose who they thought was the most qualified candidate. The board of commissioners asked for three choices, which would bring more people into the process and—theoretically, at least—give officials a better chance at finding the strongest candidate.
Still, Penn should serve the county well until her term expires in 2010. In November, the board will choose members for six seats, though seven incumbents are running. The board will also decrease to 11 members from 13.
It’s hard not to be impressed with many of the people who applied to fill Austin’s seat. Some, including Penn, have run for office before – she was unsuccessful – but many have not. This board needs some new energy, which Penn will bring. It’s unfortunate, however, that many of those who applied for Austin’s seat won’t appear on the November ballot.