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…
Pandemic funds could help upgrade Virginia schools
Virginia schools will spend about $1.1 billion this fiscal year alone on construction, and those costs aren’t going away. About 41% of public schools are at or above capacity, and half are over 50 years old. Replacing just those older schools could cost nearly
Dan River Region schools prepare as new state vaccinations requirements for students begin July 1
Students in the Dan River Region and across the state must have vaccines for certain diseases before attending classes next school year, according to new requirements that will take effect July 1. The shots were previously optional, but are now required. “They have now been…
Experts Say Virginia Needs to Hire Many More Teachers and Support Staff
Over the last decade, Virginia schools have added more than 300,000 new students. But during that same time, schools have added only 3,000 new employees. Chad Stewart at the Commonwealth Institute says the reason for that is a change made during the Great…
Dr. Pitre-Martin named Virginia Superintendent of the Year
To open the school board meeting on June 2, Board Chair Kenneth Pritchett and the rest of the Petersburg City Public School Board, recognized Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin as a Virginia Superintendent of the Year for 2020-2021, in addition to being appointed as Chair of the…
APS School Board Considers Limiting Role of School Resource Officers
A number of changes could be coming soon to the police department’s School Resource Officers unit that serves Arlington Public Schools. On Thursday, June 24, the School Board is slated to consider reforms proposed by Superintendent Francisco Durán. Among them, Durán…
EMS Seniors Graduate After Facing Similar Challenges As First EMS Class
Anna Stempel, 18, of Broadway, has at least two things in common with Mary Nafzinger — a graduate of Eastern Mennonite School’s first graduating class in 1919. Like Nafzinger, Stempel graduated from the Valley school and like Nafzinger, Stempel’s last year at the institution took…
Warren County ‘Teachers of the Year’ receive Rotary accolades
Ten Warren County Public School teachers were named “Rotary Teachers of the Year” at the regular Friday meeting of Front Royal Rotary on June 4. Traditionally chosen by their peers, the 10 each received a certificate from club President Derrick Leisure as former president Bret…
Stewart retiring from school board
Shirley Stewart announced she will not run to retain her seat on the Fluvanna School Board. Stewart, who represents the Rivanna district, will serve the remainder of her term which ends Dec. 31. In making the announcement, Stewart said she had “mixed emotions” about her…
Local students place fourth in global robotics competition
The Savage Bots, a three-person team of 12-year-olds from Ashburn and Herndon, spent the better part of the last year designing, building and testing a robot, they dubbed “Tom Tom 3.0.” All that effort paid off last week when the trio finished fourth place in the Live Remote VEX…
School’s out for Smyth retirees
School’s not only out for summer, but possibly forever for most of a fairly large group of retirees ending their careers with a reception and a plaque of recognition from Smyth County Schools Some of those retiring teachers will no doubt return to the classroom from time to time as…
VTC Medical School Shows Teens From Across Commonwealth Pathway to Medical Careers
What should I be doing now if I want to be a doctor? What should I major in to get into medical school? What if I’m struggling academically when I get to college? These were some of the issues addressed last month when 36 high-potential ninth- and 10th-grade students from…
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…