The Paulding County School Board last week voted against a proposal to remove party affiliations from their positions.

District 2 school board member Nicholas Chester presented a draft of a resolution for non-partisanship as a point of information for the board Feb. 26. He said he drafted the resolution to give the board a chance to discuss the subject.

“I believe it is healthy for us to discuss it as a board,” he said.

A separate measure, Georgia Senate Bill 184, will require “all congressional, state, and county offices be partisan as of Jan. 1, 2015,” said Superintendent Cliff Cole in an email.

Board Vice Chairman Kim Curl said the idea of nonpartisanship comes before the board about every 10 years. This is Curl’s 19th year on the board, he said.

“It’s good to throw it out there and see,” Curl said.

He, however, favors the current party system for board members, as does District 1 board member Theresa Lyons. Every member of the school board is a Republican.

“My opinion is if you don’t want to run with a party, run as an independent,” Lyons said.

The board took a vote to decide if the resolution should be presented to the public for their opinions. The vote was 6-1 against, with Chester being in favor of presenting the information.

In a related action at the meeting the board decided to delay voting on the Georgia School Board Association’s 2013 Legislative Position until the March 26 meeting. The motion to delay the action was by Lyons and seconded by Curl.

One of the issues the board has with the association’s position is the support of nonpartisanship, Curl said.

“I would not sign it the way it is,” he said.

He and Lyons want to meet with Cole and other board members and discuss what needs to stay or be taken out. The position is not going to fit every district because they are all different in needs and preferences, Curl said.

“We need to prioritize it,” he said.