The Albemarle County School Board once again selected Leslie Pryor to serve its Rio District constituents. Pryor previously served on the School Board for 11 months in 2025 after Chuck Pace’s unexpected passing.

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Separately, the School Board announced the resignation of Board Member Ellen Osborne. Osborne submitted her resignation, effective Dec. 1, because of “a family situation” according to a release from ACPS. The Board is now tasked with filling the Scottsville District seat. 

In her application for the Rio District seat, Pryor mentioned several goals, including ensuring that all ACPS students “are afforded a quality education;” ensuring “equitable access to resources;” improving academic standards; improving safety and security; better pay for teachers and administrators; and “better accountability and transparency.” 

She added that she would “work to improve trust within the community.” In various public forums this year, ACPS parents and staff have been vocal about challenges with communication with the administration. 

Pryor comes back to the School Board during a tumultuous time that has included multiple school staff resignations, multiple arrests and several staff members placed on leave. It also follows the resignation of two School Board members prior to Osborne. One of the resignations was that of Jim Dillenbeck from the Rio District; Pryor will serve until 2027 when the Board holds a special election for the seat. 

Dillenbeck resigned in October following a town hall meeting where he said some 15 ACPS staffers had been placed on leave within the previous 30 days, according to reporting from Cville Right Now. 

Pryor was one of three people who submitted applications for the Rio District seat, beating out Daisy Rojas and Jennifer Ortuño. She also applied for the at-large seat, which was vacated by Allison Spillman in August. In September, the School Board chose David Storm to fill Spillman’s seat.  

At the Nov. 5 School Board meeting, community members Michelle Gibson, Pamela Phillips and Xavier Jackson praised Pryor for her hard work and integrity as they stated their support for Pryor during public comment. Jackson added that the Board should select a person of color, because the Board currently lacks diversity. 

School Board member Judy Lê echoed Jackson’s statement on Nov. 12 when she made a motion to select Pryor, before the 5-1 vote. School Board Chair Rebecca Berlin voted for Jennifer Ortuño, saying that the Board needed a new voice. 

Pryor has a background in sociology, and has worked in the juvenile justice system for approximately 15 years, according to her application. She is also an active member for the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP and the Albemarle Foundation for Education. 

Pryor’s appointment comes after the Virginia Department of Education said the School Board must hire a new law firm to conduct an independent investigation. On Nov. 5, Acting Superintendent Chandra Hayes submitted a new firm to the VDOE to review, according to the 30-60-90 day plan presented to the Board. ACPS has not yet publicly announced the name of the new firm and said a contract is “pending Board action,” according to Hayes.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on Nov. 13, 2026, to add information about Ellen Osborne’s resignation and to correct the length of Leslie Pryor’s current term.

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