Charlottesville School Board member Juandiego Wade recently suggested that portraits of president Obama be placed in city schools. His thought was that Obama and his presidency would be especially inspiring, to students and to visitors to the schools. Since making the suggestion during a school board meeting earlier this month, concerns have been raised about the desirability of setting a precedent which would require the placement of presidential portraits in perpetuity.

We spoke by phone with Jim Henderson, Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services. With 34 years in the system, he is the longest-serving member of the city's school administration. He does not recall portraits of presidents, governors or any other inspirational or notable figures being placed in schools to honor them. Of course, he notes, lots of such pictures are used in classrooms for instructional purposes.

Henderson tells us that the school board could make it a system-wide policy if they so chose, and that individual school principals have the discretion to put such pictures up in their schools. (Dave Sagarin, August 17, 2009)