2021 Budget Workshop, May 6, 2021
Join us for the VSBA’s Budget Training workshop to learn more about the importance of The Board’s Role in Developing the School Budget. In this virtual workshop, based on member requests, board members will learn their role in the budget process and how it relates to the…
First Annual VSBA Student Essay Contest, Deadline April 30
The Virginia School Boards Association is holding a personal essay/speaking contest where the winner will have an opportunity to present before an audience of more than 300 school board members and administrators at the 2021 Virtual VSBA Conference on Education held July 20…
Salem School Board member lived to serve youth, families
Scores of patients, fellow public officials, colleagues and family members are coming to grips with the death Tuesday of Michael Chiglinsky, a Roanoke Valley psychologist and Salem community leader who lived to serve countless young people and their families. Chiglinsky…
Petersburg Public Schools announce two positive student cases of COVID-19
Petersburg City Public Schools announced that two students at Cool Spring Elementary School have tested positive for COVID-19. According to the press release, the students are in different grades and were last at the school on April 14. Anyone affected will be contacted by the…
Northam meets with students over pervasive harassment of Asian Americans
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) met with 15 Loudoun high school students of Asian and Pacific Islander descent Thursday in a closed-door meeting to discuss the harassment they’ve received amid a string of recent violence towards Asian Americans across the country. Northam was…
For second year, no official high school proms in Lynchburg area
For the second year in a row, Lynchburg-area high schools won’t be holding school-sponsored proms. Officials with Lynchburg City Schools and divisions in the counties of Amherst, Bedford, Campbell and Nelson said schools could not hold such events and comply with Gov. Ralph…
Harrisonburg’s city budget includes no money for HHS2, but city and school still “dedicated” to build
On Tuesday, Harrisonburg’s city council members heard the proposed budget for the fiscal year July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 from City Manager Eric Campbell. Campbell explained to council members the challenges in developing the city’s next budget because of uncertainty around…
Technology resource instructor named WPS Teacher of the Year
COVID-19 has made it clear how important technology access is for students, particularly if they can’t come to school. Frederick Douglass Elementary School Principal Stephanie Downey said it would have been very difficult to survive as a school during the pandemic without…
Schools announce plans for in-person graduation ceremonies
Five Fredericksburg-area school divisions have announced plans to hold in-person graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021. Stafford County Public Schools will hold ceremonies at all five high schools for more than 2,400 graduating seniors. Each school will host six separate…
Music Education Program Receives National Recognition
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has been named a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM (National Association for Music Merchants) Foundation. FCPS was recognized for its outstanding commitment to and support of music education, and for its efforts to provide…
James City County’s proposed budget omits $31M for new elementary school
James City County’s proposed budget includes funding for a raft of building projects on the school division’s wish list with one major omission — a $31 million-plus new elementary school. A public hearing to discuss James City County’s proposed FY2022 and James City Service…
COVID-19 outbreak at Woodbridge High stemmed from school athletics
A COVID-19 outbreak Woodbridge Senior High School reported by the Virginia Department of Health on Friday involves positive cases stemming from school athletics, according to Principal Heather Abney. The Woodbridge High outbreak was the 11th involving a public or private…
Virginia Beach schools plans to bring older students back for 4 days a week
Older Virginia Beach students who have opted to return for face-to-face instruction will switch from two days of in-person instruction a week to four days on April 27. Pre-K through sixth-grade students have already been in classes four days a week, with Monday remaining an…
They feel defeated
The last time Martinsville High School seniors Aaron Dalton, Ben Jarrett, and Michael Devorra put on Bulldogs jerseys was in June of 2019. Martinsville’s boys soccer team had just completed a record-breaking season that saw them go 21-2-1, winning the Piedmont District and Region…
Caroline supervisors reject returning $1.7 million to schools for capital projects
The Caroline Board of Supervisors has decided not to give the county schools $1.7 million in leftover funds that the School Board wanted to use for capital improvements. The supervisors’ 4–2 vote Tuesday resulted in the county retaining the full $1.7 million dollars, delaying a…
Puryear seeking fifth term on Charlottesville School Board
Leah Puryear is seeking a fifth term on the Charlottesville School Board. In her re-election announcement this past week, Puryear said she wanted to continue to support several initiatives started in past years that have more recently gained momentum. Those include the…
Board votes to rename middle and high schools
Following months of discussion, the Alexandria School Board voted unanimously at its April 8 meeting to rename T.C. Williams High School and Matthew Maury Elementary School as Alexandria City High School, and Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School, respectively. The new…
Local school systems plan ‘fun’ and ‘intensive’ summer camps for students facing learning loss during pandemic
Summer school program plans are in the works to combat learning loss in the region. After the COVID-19 pandemic left students learning virtually rather than in the classroom, often for months at a time, school districts are noticing several students falling behind on critical…
Louisa County Public Schools to hold groundbreaking ceremony for new building
Louisa County Public Schools announced a groundbreaking ceremony will take place for a new building. The new addition will be a building with 13 classrooms, two resource rooms and an activity area at Jouett Elementary School. The ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. on April 15…
VSBA 2021 Food for Thought Competition
The VSBA would like to invite you to participate in the eighth annual Food for Thought Competition, a friendly competition between Virginia’s school divisions to showcase their programs that combat childhood hunger, provide healthy school meals, and encourage…
Webinar, April 22, 2021 Project IGuardian
Project iGuardian is presented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Project iGuardian is an HSI initiative “designed to inform youths, parents, and educators about the risks that children face in the online environment” that also “aims to arm educators…