Who is on your school board matters

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Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023

Sometimes, it’s hard to keep up with the news.

We know that what’s happening in Israel and Gaza is weighing on many people in our community. Locally, we know many of you are also thinking about Daniel O’Brien Hall, who was shot and killed this weekend in downtown Charlottesville. (Here is a report from CBS19.)

And we know that many of you want to know more about what’s happening in Market Street Park in Charlottesville, and how our neighbors who are struggling to find shelter are faring. Here’s a quick update from Friday.

Charlottesville announces it will bring back a curfew to Market Street Park

There are so many important things happening in our communities in central Virginia, and while we can’t report on all of them, we do try to give you information that you can act on. To that end, today’s newsletter is focused on school boards, which are poised to change, perhaps drastically, next year.

In Virginia, county school boards are composed of at-large members, plus one member from each district in that county. They are elected to four-year terms and serve as the leaders of the school district by setting the policies and choosing the leadership of public schools. That is to say, school boards have a lot of influence over how students learn! And this year, we’re seeing big differences between the candidates’ positions on teacher and bus driver recruitment, policies for transgender students, ideas about curriculum and how we measure academic success, and school safety.

In our 2023 Voter Guide for Central Virginia, we have a lot of information about the candidates running for school boards in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Over the next two weeks, we’ll expand the voter guide with candidate Q&As for local elections throughout central Virginia.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Charlottesville voters have the opportunity to meet and hear from the four candidates running for the four open spots on the city’s seven-member school board. 

Get to know the candidates for Charlottesville City School Board

Join us for a conversation with AMANDA BURNS, SHYMORA COOPER, CHRIS MEYER, and NICOLE RICHARDSON.

6pm Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Space is limited. Click to RSVP.

And from the voter guide, here are Q&As now available with candidates for school boards in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.

Q&A with the 2 candidates seeking to represent the White Hall District on the Albemarle County Public Schools Board

Rebecca Berlin answered questions from voters for this guide, but Joann McDermid declined to respond.

Q&A with the 2 candidates seeking the at-large seat on the Albemarle County Public Schools Board

Meg Bryce and Allison Spillman have different views on policies concerning transgender students, approaches to school safety, and ways to recruit and retain teachers.

Q&A with the only candidate to represent the Scottsville District on Albemarle County’s School Board

Incumbent Ellen Moore Osborne was first elected in 2019.

Q&A with the only candidate to represent the Rivanna District on Albemarle County’s School Board

Incumbent and School Board Chair Judy Le is running for her second four-year term.

Q&A with the 4 candidates seeking the 4 seats on the Charlottesville City School Board

The seven-member board will most likely have these four new members.

We hope these resources help you!

Thanks for reading,
Angilee Shah, CEO and Editor-in-Chief