From the President's Desk |
Dear Fellow School Board Members,
As quickly as summer break started, here we go again, preparing for another school year. I thank each of you for your dedication to our students and Virginia public education year-round. Speaking of that dedication, I want to take a moment to recognize the sudden passing of one of my local board members, Mr. Francis Zehr of Henry County. Mr. Zehr served as a public school teacher for more than 30 years as well as a member of the Board of Supervisors for 16 years and the School Board for the past 11 years. He’s the only member to have been elected to Chair both boards. I would not have become your President without his support and mentorship. I hope you all are as blessed to have colleagues as good as Mr. Zehr was to me. In his honor, when you can, please take a moment to do some small act of kindness for each other.
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From the Executive Director |
Dear VSBA Members,
I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on VSBA’s membership in the newly created Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) as one of 22 founding member states. There has been so much great progress made by COSSBA over the past several months and I am pleased to share these updates with all of you.
Planning is underway for several upcoming COSSBA events, so please mark your calendars as all VSBA members are eligible to attend:
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Issue Highlights
Article on Kennedy v Bremerton School District: The Supreme Court Addresses Free Speech Clause, the Free Exercise Clause, and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
To Adopt Legislative Priorities, Or Not?
2022 VSBA Annual Convention Keynote Speakers
2022 VSBA Conference on Education
Division Spotlight: Gloucester County Public Schools
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Kennedy v Bremerton School District: The Supreme Court Addresses the Interplay Between the Free Speech Clause, the Free Exercise Clause, and the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment
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The United States Supreme Court recently decided a case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, 142 S. Ct. 2407 (2022), involving whether a school district could discipline a high school football coach who knelt at the middle of the football field after games to pray.
Facts
The coach had been praying in various school venues for several years and there had been frequent discussions about his practices between the coach and the District. He voluntarily agreed to stop certain practices, including his practice of incorporating religious references or prayer into his postgame motivational talks to his team on the field. However, he was unwilling to stop praying on the football field immediately after football games. During the time periods when the coach was praying, other members of the coaching staff were allowed to do things such as visit with friends or take personal phone calls rather than supervising students. The coach sued the District after it did not renew his contract.
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To Adopt Legislative Priorities, Or Not? |
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When advocating for changes in public policy, the road to success is often met with many roadblocks that halt the pace of legislation. Our system of government was intentionally designed by our founders to proceed deliberately slow in this process. Despite the difficulties encountered in policy process, having a plan, and making a request for change is a necessity if you are ever to see your intended result. A strategy to reach success in policy change may consist of adopting legislative priorities for your school division.
I am often asked by board members if they should adopt legislative priorities that are specific to their individual school divisions? There is no silver bullet answer to this question, but each board may find it beneficial to have discussion within the collective body as to whether adopting legislative priorities is a good approach to embark upon.
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Mathews County School Governance Team Earns 2022 VSBA Master Board Designation |
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The Mathews County School Board and Superintendent recently earned the designation of a VSBA Master Board. The Team attended four sessions totaling over twenty hours of professional development beginning in March and ending on August 10. The discussions, facilitated by staff of the Virginia School Boards Association, focused on team building, improving communication, listening, and board building behaviors. |
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2022 VSBA Annual Convention Keynote Speakers |
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2022 VSBA Conference on Education |
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On July 19, 2022, VSBA held the 2022 Conference on Education at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa at Short Pump. The conference offered attendees the opportunity to choose from 25 mini-workshops that highlighted successful practices in Virginia’s school divisions. Participants left with many great insights and practical ideas. |
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2022 VSBA Food For Thought Competition Winners Recognized |
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Six school divisions received top honors in the 2022 Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Food for Thought Competition. Winning divisions were recognized at the VSBA Conference on Education, which took place virtually on Tuesday, July 19. The competition is an initiative spearheaded by former VSBA President Joan Wodiska in 2012 to educate, engage, and empower school leaders to address childhood hunger and provide all students in Virginia with healthier, more nutritious school meals. This is the tenth year the awards were given out, and the sponsor for the awards was ABM. |
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Healthy Schools Meals Winners
(Below 10,000 Student Population) Caroline County Public Schools
(Above 10,001 Student Population) Stafford County Public Schools
Meal Access to Fight Hunger Winners
(Below 10,000 Student Population)Page County Public Schools
(Above 10,001 Student Population) Richmond City Public Schools
Wellness and Physical Activity Winners
(Below 10,000 Student Population)Isle of Wight County Public Schools
(Above 10,001 Student Population) Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools
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2022 VSBA Student Essay Competition Winners Recognized |
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Three students received recognition for their submissions to the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Second Annual Student Essay Contest. The three finalists were recognized at the VSBA Conference on Education, which took place earlier today. This was the second year the contest was held, and the theme of the contest was “Food Security”. This year, thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous donor, the top three finalists each received a $1,000 scholarship.
Courtney Begoon (pictured above, left), a recent graduate from Augusta County Public Schools, Isabel Gonzales (pictured above, middle), a rising sophomore from Portsmouth City Public Schools, and Nainika Sompallie (pictured above, right) a rising junior from Henrico County Public Schools were selected by a panel of judges who were presented with the written essay as well as a recorded speech.
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2022 VSBA Student Workforce Readiness Award Winners Recognized |
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Nine school divisions received honors in the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Excellence in Workforce Readiness Awards. The winning divisions were recognized at the VSBA Conference on Education. The awards program was created in 2018 by the VSBA Task Force on Workforce Readiness to highlight exemplary programs in Virginia’s public schools focused on preparing the state’s future workforce. The sponsor of the awards was VAcorp.
The winning school divisions are as follows:
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Student Population Below 5,000 Students
First Place- Radford City Public Schools, Virginia Tech College Access Collaborative: Virginia Tech Center for Educational Networks and Impacts
Second Place- Rappahannock County Public Schools, Profile of a Graduate Life-Readiness Team
Third Place- Powhatan County Public Schools, Powhatan High School Electricity Program
Student Population Between 5,001 – 10,000 Students
First Place- Shenandoah County Public Schools, CNA/Phlebotomy Program Partnership
Second Place- Harrisonburg City Public Schools, Nurse Aide Program
Third Place- Pittsylvania County Public Schools, Automotive Technology Program
Student Population Above 10,001 Students
First Place- Henrico County Public Schools, Preparing Students for the World of Work- The Henrico Way Program
Second Place- Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Project Search Naval Air Station Oceana
Third Place- Loudoun County Public Schools, Practical Nursing and Nursing Aide Pathways Clinical Hours Partnership
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Division Spotlight: Gloucester County
In each newsletter, VSBA will spotlight a recent initiative or best practice taking place in a school division in Virginia. If you have a story you would like to submit for inclusion in the spotlight section of the VSBA newsletter, please contact Brittany Moore, member services coordinator, for more information. We look forward to hearing about the great things going on in your divisions.
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Embracing the Science of Reading
By Savannah Campbell and Jennifer McSweeney
In Gloucester County, we embrace the Science of Reading. Under the leadership of Dr. Jennifer McSweeney (Instructional Literacy Specialist), Gloucester County Public Schools is working diligently to include the 5 pillars of instruction supported by the science: phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Instead of buying a boxed curriculum, Dr. McSweeney, along with chosen representatives throughout the county, spent years planning, creating, and revising the English/Language Arts curriculum for K-5 in Gloucester. The highlight of this curriculum is the scope and sequence for phonics. This phonics sequence focuses on explicit, systematic instruction in phonics for all students, beginning with simple closed syllable words and moving through prefixes, suffixes, and decoding multisyllabic words. Jennifer continues to add resources to classrooms that support this curriculum including hands-on manipulatives and decodable stories. These resources help children to truly experience multi-sensory word study instruction.
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VSBA Affiliate Member Profiles
In each issue of the VSBA newsletter, we will feature three VSBA Affiliate Members.
Thank you for your support of the VSBA and Virginia's public education system.
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Skanska USA Building, Inc.
One of the world’s leading construction and project development firms.
Curtis Elswick: (540) 423-2860 or
Doug Erck: (540) 400-5230 or
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Energy Systems Group, LLC (ESG)
For over 25 years, ESG has provided the K-12 community with infrastructure improvements to improve the learning environment and lengthen the life expectancy of your facilities.
Cheryl Midkiff
Phone: (434) 333-5025
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Forecast5 Analytics
Decision support and data analytics solutions for school division leaders.
Eric Smith
Phone: (630) 955-7551
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200 Hansen Road, Charlottesville, VA 22911
Tel: 434-295-8722 Fax: 434-295-8785
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