By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock New« Staff Writer

Rappahannock voters overwhelmingly supported the referendum to change the method of selecting School Board members to direct election by the voters.

The referendum passed with nearly 84 percent of the vote. Currently School Board members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors with the supervisor from each district able to nominate the candidate of his choice and the other members usually supporting his decision.

In 1980 voters in Rappahannock voted even more overwhelmingly, by nearly a 9 to 1 margin, to give the power to appoint School Board members to the supervisors. Before that members were appointed by a School Trustee Electoral Board appointed by the circuit court judge.

For many years bills to allow the voters to elect School Board members were introduced in the General Assembly. Generally those bills died in committee. During the 1991 session the bill allowing election of School Board members passed the assembly, and this year was the first opportunity localities had to vote on the issue. Rappahannock was among 42 localities to hold a referendum Tuesday.

It will be 1995 before elections for School Board members can be held. This past summer Jackson District representative Beverly Massie and Piedmont District representative Frances Thornton were appointed to new four-year terms. Those terms will now be reduced to three and a half years. Before the 1995 elections the other three members terms will expire, and the supervisors will continue to make appointments.

Susan Parrish, who organized the petition drive to put the referendum on the ballot, was very happy with the results of the election.

“I don’t think it passed because of any overwhelming issue or any member people don’t like,” she said. “It was time to do it. It’s not a reflection on the way the School Board members now are doing their job. People