School Board chair and 4th District rep George Braxton will not seek re-election this fall, citing the ever-popular “focusing more on my growing family and career” as his reason for stepping down.

Two questions spring immediately to mind:

• Are West and Braxton it or will more follow suit?
• Who’s best for the 4th District now?

It’s going to be an interesting few months.

When your School Board rep just happens to be the Chair of the most-scrutinized quasi-government body in recent memory, there’s never a dull moment for your district. The latest round of George Braxton vs. Keith West flared up this week, with Braxton removing West from his position as chair of the Finance committee. Braxton’s resistance to any sort of criticism combined with West’s abandonment and dismissal of the school system as a parent suggests the ugliness has only just begun.

Full Disclosure: The author’s significant other is a RPS teacher. Neither of us have much faith in the school board or RPS administration.

4th District School Board rep George Braxton has of late served as the board’s chair, but his tenure at the top could be coming to an end. 7th District rep Keith West, perhaps the most visible and outspoken member of the board (and certainly one of Braxton’s many critics), has been openly campaigning for the leadership spot. A T-D article today points out the increased interest in the board chair race. Public opinion seems to be mostly in favor of West taking the helm, but quotes from other board members suggest it’s a pretty even split so far.

The chairman vote is scheduled for Monday night’s meeting. Stay tuned…

The latest in a long line of RPS school renovation/closure plans is making the rounds and, perhaps not unexpectedly, our local schools are completely missing from the first 5-year phase. The second phase (circa 2012) would see Swansboro Elementary renovated/expanded and Huguenot High replaced with a new building at its current location.

4th District Representative/Board Chairman George Braxton has been pushing a new Huguenot High for quite some time. Personally, I’m surprised that neither Westover Hills nor Redd Elementary schools have been targeted for closure/consolidation, considering they’re roughly 7/10 mile apart, but then Patrick Henry has only been closed a couple of years…

…which seems like a good opportunity to mention that the PH School Initiative folks should be meeting tonight, 8PM, at the Berryman Community Center, 400 West 32nd Street.