The Prince Edward County School Board is better off because of the dedication, wisdom and hard work of Dr. Chapman Hood Frazier, who has resigned from his seat, representing the Lockett District on the board.

In a very graceful manner, Frazier resigned to address health concerns and focus on a position as professor in residence at the county’s high school.

I commend Frazier for his work on the school board in efforts to support the division’s students and staff, his stance on democracy and emphasis on transparency.

In April, Frazier was one of the three school board members who voted in favor of the division videotaping their meetings. He was joined by Dr. Wilkie Chaffin and Dr. Timothy W. Corbett Sr. — all of whom were attempting to shed more light on the operations and governance of the school board rather than keeping in the dark their constituents who are unable to access documents, information or attend the meetings.

His vote, along with the other two, would have resulted in forward progress for the board.

Frazier and I are proponents of elected school boards.

“I’ve always been a proponent of elected school boards because I thought they would represent the will of the people,” Frazier said in a previous interview, noting he preferred the appointed school board system Prince Edward previously used.

His point of view shows me that while he didn’t favor the elected system — one chosen by the majority of voters last fall in Prince Edward — he understood what it could bring to the table and how, if employed, it could benefit the school division and strengthen democracy.

“Educating our children is one of the most important things that we can do for our district, for our area …,” Frazier said in a previous interview.

Indeed, educating our children is one of the most important — if not the most important — duties of society, and I commend Frazier for sticking to that ideal during his time on the board.

JORDAN MILES is managing editor of The Farmville Herald and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. His email address is Jordan.Miles@FarmvilleHerald.com.