July 20, 2021, VSBA Conference on Education
Join hundreds of school division leaders from across Virginia at the 35th Annual VSBA Conference on Education. We are pleased to have Governor Ralph Northam in attendance, with our afternoon keynote presentation from the Aldrin Foundation! There will also be a time for…
New Bedford County Public Schools superintendent reorganizes, streamlines curriculum and instruction
Bedford County Public Schools’ new superintendent is hitting the ground running. Marc Bergin, who officially joined the school division as superintendent on June 1, presented his annual administrative organizational plan to the Bedford County School Board at its Thursday…
Virginia fifth-graders are video pals with Ugandan class
One of the things students at Green Valley, a primary school in central Uganda, wanted to know about Kelley Kruzel’s fifth grade class at Kate Waller Barrett in Stafford County was, “Do you have any traditional dances?” “We had just danced the Macarena and the Cha Cha Slide at…
Examining Virginia’s aging school crisis
Deep inside the bowels of Highland View Elementary lies the 84-year-old school’s original boiler, a wall filled with electrical panels served by an aging nest of wires that carry power throughout the building and a sign on a vent warning “Danger: asbestos.” When former Gov…
Loudoun County Public Schools appeals decision to reinstate teacher after comments about transgender students
Days after a judge ruled that a Loudoun County teacher be reinstated after making controversial comments about transgender students, the school district appealed the decision and vowed to take the case to the Virginia Supreme Court. The controversy began late last month when…
Fairfax County’s lone Muslim school board member reflects on uproar over Israel criticism
Abrar Omeish doesn’t regret taking a stand on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, but if she could go back, she might have expressed her opinion a little differently. The at-large Fairfax County School Board member sparked a heated local debate about one of…
Wymer to make short Roanoke County School Board return
Former Roanoke County School Board member David Wymer will reprise his role as Catawba District representative, replacing an outgoing member until citizens duly elect a replacement in November. Wymer served on the school board from 2007 to 2015, and is not running for…
Graduates celebrate new beginning for T.C. Williams High School
It was in a meeting of the Black Student Union at T.C. Williams High School that Lorraine Johnson first learned her school was named for a fervent segregationist who fought to keep out students like her. On Saturday, squishing across a wet lawn in her graduation gown, Johnson…
Amherst NAACP president to school officials: ‘We cannot go backwards’ in equity efforts
Following a June 1 joint meeting between Amherst County government and schools officials that put an equity lesson at the forefront of public debate, the president of the county’s NAACP on June 10 publicly asked the Amherst County School Board to press forward with the material…
Richmond Public Schools holding conversations for families about reopening plans
Richmond Public Schools is set to hold its next round of community conversations regarding health and safety in regards to reopening schools in the fall. The first event took place virtually on Sunday for families on the northside, and two of the next three events planned for this…
Local Business Leaders Organizing Effort to Bring STEM Centers to Accomack County Schools
John P. Custis, Esq. and Robert Smith of Monument Sotheby’s International Realty announced today that they have embarked on a fundraising effort to bring STEM Centers and educational curriculum to benefit the students of the Accomack County School System. Custis and Smith…
Patrick Henry High School seniors celebrate graduation
Patrick Henry High School seniors celebrated at their graduation on Friday, June 11th, after a less than normal year. They shared memories and triumphs from their high school days, including living and studying through a pandemic. Parents cheered and music played, as…
City Council releases names of candidates to be interviewed for school board
Lynchburg City Council on Thursday released the names of the eight candidates it will interview for three seats on the school board that will be vacant June 30. According to a news release from the city, council opted to release the names of those being interviewed “in an effort to be…
June 24, 2021, The Importance of Civility
Join VSBA for a live webinar with Executive Director Andrea Messina from the Florida School Boards Association as she shares why civility within the board room is so important. As we all know, variance in personal opinions result from different expectations, goals, beliefs, or…