In Long Beach, California, Felton Williams and the TALB Face Off

On April 8th, 2008 Long Beach, California voters will once again trudge to the polling boxes for the primary nominating election. Four seats on the Long Beach City Council have incumbent candidates, as do two seats on the Board of Trustees. Another election that receives far too little attention is the one which decides the fate of two incumbent member of the Board of Education for the Long Beach Unified School District. At issue are the seat of district 4's John Meyer and district 2's Felton Williams.

Granted, school board elections almost always lack the glitz and glamour their much more publicized and politicized cousins enjoy, yet 2008 promises a refreshing difference and the spotlight will quite possibly shine on the fourth district in general and Felton Williams in particular.

Mr. Williams was first elected to the Long Beach school board in 2004 when he proclaimed to be the candidate who would ensure that the school district would continue on its progress to add more and more facilities which were issued the privilege of being named a California Distinguished School. He is quoted on his website as stating that not only would he be instrumental in easing overcrowding but partnerships were to be forged with the business community as well as standards raised to such an extent that parents would once again choose to have their children attend neighborhood schools instead of magnet school outside the district or private schools.

Mr. Felton's star continued to rise when he was elected president of the Long Beach Board of Education in July of 2007. Yet there is trouble in paradise and while Long Beach schools may be enjoying a few face lifts here and there, even the positive spin that news reporters and spokes people want to put on concerns raised by teachers cannot completely erase the pause the careful voter must experience when the hand hovers once more over the little dot that determines Mr. Felton's professional future.