Coraggio Consulting
Chesterfield County School Board Business Meeting, Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Place: Chesterfield County School Board, Virginia
Length: 1h 7m (video)
Official meeting video (Swagit): https://chesterfieldschoolsva.new.swagit.com/videos/352312
Official minutes (BoardDocs, on the Sep 9, 2025 agenda for approval): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/chesterfield/Board.nsf/pfiles/DL7K5U4FF87B/$file/DRAFT%20MINUTES%20-%202025.08.12%20Business%20Meeting.pdf

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-24. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. Ann Coker. Aye. The motion carries. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call the August 12th, 2025 School Board Business Meeting to order. Before we begin the meeting this evening, I would like to thank everyone for attending the August 12th School Board Business Meeting and remind the audience that comments to this board may only be made at the podium during the public comment period.

[00:00:27] Comments from the audience are prohibited and are in violation of Section 18.2-415 of the Code of Virginia, Disorderly Conduct in Public Places, and School Board Policy 6141. I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding so that we can conduct the business meeting in an orderly fashion.

[00:00:47] We will now have invocation by Mrs. Chatters, followed by the flag salute led by Mr. Peronto. - Before tonight's invocation, we want to remember with a moment of silence four outstanding educators who passed away recently.

[00:01:04] Angela Hovermail retired in 2023 after 33 years of service in Chesterfield County Public Schools. She inspired untold numbers of students and colleagues during her years at Crenshaw Elementary, Alberta Smith Elementary, Robius Middle, and Bailey Bridge Middle.

[00:01:22] David Lee Carderlich was a special education teacher at Tomahawk Creek Middle School who died in May A team player and a leader in her department, Mrs. Kauderlich joined Chesterfield County Public Schools in 2002. Everyone was drawn to her warm and caring disposition with her willingness to jump in and assist with anything that needed doing.

[00:01:44] Dr. Jacqueline Wilson was named principal of Clover Hill in 1989 after serving as the school's assistant principal for four years. A thoughtful and empowering leader, Dr. Wilson led Clover Hill for a decade before moving on to central office roles, including Director of Exceptional Education.

[00:02:05] She retired in 2007 after 30 years of service to Chesterfield County Public Schools. Dr. Billy Cannaday served as Superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools from 2000 to 2006. When he began, fewer than half of our schools were fully accredited.

[00:02:21] Thanks to his leadership, every Chesterfield school had achieved full accreditation by the time he moved on to lead the Virginia Department of Education. A brilliant educational leader, Dr. Cannaday was known his approachable manner, always making time to connect with students, teachers, staff, and families.

[00:02:39] Please join me in a moment of silence for these four educators. Thank you. As is my custom, I'd like to read a poem about new beginnings by Helen Rice. How often we wish for another chance to have a fresh beginning, a chance to let our mistakes and change failure into winning. It does not take a new year to make a brand new start. It only takes the deep desire to try with all your heart, to live

[00:03:18] a little better and to always be forgiving, to add a little sunshine to the world we are living. So never grow up in despair and think that you are through, for there's always tomorrow to start anew. Would you please join us at this time for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation,

[00:03:49] under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Tonight's consent agenda includes a Agenda adoption, approval of the minutes from the June 3rd, 2025 work session, June 3rd, 2025 business meeting, memo number 100-25, recommended personnel actions, memo number

[00:04:20] 101-25, FY2026, acceptance of new grants, memo number 102-25, acceptance of donations, Memo number 103-25, Review and Approval of the FY2026 Tuition Rates for Non-Resident Students.

[00:04:40] Memo number 104-25, Deed of Gift, School Nutrition Foundation. Memo number 105-25, Deed of Gift, Midlothian High School Athletics. Memo number 106-25, Deed of Gift, Moseley Elementary School Wooden Outdoor Benches.

[00:05:00] Memo number 107-25, Appointment of Members to School Board Advisory Committees. Are there any additions or corrections to the consent agenda? Madam Chair, it is my understanding that it is the will of the board to remove an action item this evening. With that being said, Madam Chair will need a motion to amend the consent agenda for the removal of Section F of the agenda, which is action items, which includes memo number 108-25, Facility usage approval for Associated Builders and Contractors, Virginia Chapters, ABC-Virginia,

[00:05:35] and waiver of certain requirements of School Board Policy 6170-R1. Madam Chair, I move that we amend the agenda for the clerk's recommendation.

[00:05:53] Do I have a second? Second. Madam Clerk, will you call roll? Thank you. Dot Hefron? Aye. Dominique Chatters? Aye. Stephen Pronto? aye Lisa Hudgens aye Ann Coker aye the amendment has been approved are there any requests from a school board member to separate an item from the consent agenda for discussion and individual action hearing none may I have a motion to approve the consent agenda amended consent agenda as

[00:06:29] presented so moved is there a second second madam clerk would you please call roll on the motion Scott Hefron aye Dominique Chatters aye Stephen Pronto aye Lisa Hudgens aye Ann Coker aye the Motion carries. Mr. Smith, will you please announce our new administrators?

[00:06:49] If I could ask John Balasaw to come forward at this time.

[00:07:06] Board members, with your action this evening, you've approved Jonathan John Balasaw as the Director of Construction, effective July 21, 2025. He received his Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Old Dominion University. Most recently, he previously served as the Director of School Construction for Richmond Public Schools and Construction Project Manager for Richmond Public Schools.

[00:07:27] Please join me in welcoming and congratulating Jonathan. Next, we have awards and recognitions. Mr. Smith. If I could ask Harper Cox to come forward this time.

[00:07:43] The top speller in Central Virginia in 2025 is Harper Cox.

[00:08:10] This is the second straight year the top speller in Cheshire County Public Schools won the regional spelling bee and competed nationally. In January, when she was an eighth grader at Robius Middle, Harper won the Cheshire County Public Schools spelling bee. Then, in the regional competition in March, Harper outperformed 25 other accomplished spellers from throughout Central Virginia to punch her ticket to the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

[00:08:32] Harper's regional win came in the 20th round. And then, in late May in Washington, D.C., Harper lasted until round two against the 242 other students competing in the National Spelling Bee. Please join me in congratulating Harper Cox. Oh, no.

[00:08:51] Congratulations. That's amazing. So, you know, he says the second round. That doesn't sound that much until you read 200 and how many? So every single person you had to wait through, right? They had to come up and spell, right? So that was humongous. Okay, so you have this, you're the regional speller, the top speller.

[00:09:12] Fantastic. I never got out of the classroom in the spelling bees. I'm still mad about that. but you um i'm curious about the word that you heard and you're like oh my gosh like did you freak out did you have a freak out word and then you saved the day inside all in your head um i think one word that i was really struggling with was um ivermectin because it's like a like a medicine word um but i don't know yeah yeah in the end that was fun That was a question that I had.

[00:09:51] But congratulations again. Congrats. We're so proud of you. Thanks, girl. If I could ask our Midlithian High School softball team to come forward this time.

[00:10:33] Congratulations go to the Midlithian High School softball team for winning the 2025 VHSL Class 5 State Championship. For the first time in school history, the softball team achieved an undefeated season, finishing 24-0. The Trojans allowed only 23 runs across 24 games and recorded 13 shutouts.

[00:10:54] Max Preps ranked the Midlithian High softball team 46th nationally, second in the state, and the first among Virginia public schools. This is Midlithian's second state title. Please join me in congratulating the Midlithian High softball team. So I have a piece of paper back there.

[00:11:15] I didn't realize that I was going to be back-to-back. This is unbelievable. You guys, zero, y'all did not lose at all. Oh, somebody's giving me my cheat sheet right here. You guys did your, what was it, 25 and zero? 24 oh my apologies 24 and zero okay and like what again anytime that y'all were like oh we're gonna lose and then you just pulled it out like every time no not every time it was okay okay we're pretty confident okay and then you made states and then have y'all already designed your rings

[00:11:51] they oh okay okay it's a secret but you're gonna get a ring okay that's very exciting and so there was one little cool story that um somebody was a first base person she's not here okay well uh first base person was uh her mother and the last time they won states was also the first base player catcher yeah man person um i was not in sports anyway uh congratulations this is amazing

[00:12:26] we're so proud i'm gonna let you guys talk what you're the best uh the best moment okay best moment i love it you want me to go first go first um i think the best moment was probably just like the accumulate like actually like when we actually won just because this crew they're not all here but like they really genuinely cared about each other so like it made it that much

[00:13:02] better like they actually enjoyed being around each other so like for them to accomplish it um and like when we won our last game it was like just for them to see them like enjoying it together was really cool i mean i i am still really new to coaching i know i look like a player but i'm not but um it's really cool to be on the other side of it and to see how much uh they really just love being with each other and putting in the work every day it's it's truly it's work at practice to get better and to win states and they loved it they loved getting after it and i was really

[00:13:42] it's cool to see them succeed from the other side of the fence so they're a really special group i would definitely say being a senior um our freshman year every year it was a goal to get to states and every year we got one step closer and so this year actually getting to do it with this group of girls was really really special i think my best memory was probably back-to-back region champs um one memory i had that was like really good was the region championship like we had a rain delay so we were really waiting and like getting hyped for the game and it was a super close game and yeah everyone just had their moments in that game and it was such a good

[00:14:20] team win it was really fun. My favorite moment of the entire year was just being able to finish it with all my teammates and travel players that I played with it was just my favorite part about it being able to finish it with all my friends. My favorite moment was just being with the team like every practice hanging out with these girls and like you build like a strong relationship with

[00:14:43] everybody go mid-low go mid-low the tennessee is good if i could ask our milithian high boys

[00:15:20] tennessee come forward this time congratulations to the milithian high boys tennessee for winning the 2025 bhsl class 5 state championship the team achieved a 21-1 record for the season during the

[00:15:57] regional and state tournaments the team did not lose a single set sweeping every opponent 5-0 this is the first state title from living high boys tennessee since 1981 in his fourth year's Coach, John Gennardi, was named Boys Tennis Coach of the Year for Chester County Public Schools. Please join me in congratulating the Millicent High Boys Tennis Team.

[00:16:20] Congratulations, guys. This is amazing. You guys were 5-0-5-0. You got two, so share it with your friend. Across it, there you go. I'm not going to do any talking. Congrats to the Coach of the Year and Softball Coach of the Year as well. You guys, this is unbelievable.

[00:16:37] I'm really proud of you all. Can you give me a little chat, a little something? Your favorite moment? My favorite moment was building the team chemistry with everyone. It was first year on the team. I didn't make it freshman year, so it was really nice getting welcomed by the whole team and then me building throughout the year, so it was nice.

[00:16:59] My favorite moment was when we won states, the match that we won. Everyone ran onto the court, and we're all kind of just celebrating, so that was special. My favorite memory or memories is winning every regional match back-to-back-to-back 5-0.

[00:17:16] every single one um it was also my first uh year as a freshman and it was my first time celebrating something that big so uh my favorite was when we like starting like going up to states so like make sure we like i think my favorite was probably when we beat freeman twice this year i mean their arrival we kind of we kind of owned them this year so uh that was pretty nice i couldn't really say like one moment but like definitely like just get like getting food with everybody

[00:17:51] after practice like the stuff like yeah stuff like that mine was probably my last match during state it was a good way to cap off my senior year and yeah mine as well was like at the end of the season when we had a big group photo of all the parents and all the kids together after the win and so that was just really exciting and special girls ready we'll get a pretty okay okay you can

[00:18:23] do it. All right, ready? Three, two, one. That's a tough act to follow. If I could ask our Clever

[00:18:55] Ohio representatives to come forward this time. For outstanding success in the VHSL academic activities, Clever Ohio won the 24-25 National Guard Cup presented by the Virginia Army National Guard. This is the third time Clever Hill has achieved success, previously winning the academic Cup in 21-22 and 2015-2016. The Academic Cup is awarded annually for demonstrating year-long

[00:19:31] success in VHSL academic activities. Competition points are tallied from publications, multimedia, robotics, theater, Scholastic Bowl, forensics, debate, creative writing, and film festival. Clever Hill High earned 270 points to win the Cup VHSL Class 5. Please join me congratulating Clever Hill High School. Congratulations. This is, I, Mr. Smith gave us kind of a, rundown, but this is no small feat. I looked at the matrix, and Clover Hill just dominated.

[00:20:12] And again, schools with more kids, more participants, and I think that's a testament to the quality that you bring as leaders to our classrooms and inspiring our students to be their best.

[00:20:29] I would love to hear from you, or not, or just take the bag and go home. It's fine. No pressure. If you would like to share, you know, what does winning this award mean for your students or your program?

[00:20:46] Or how does this, how can we, you know, do you see yourself launching this into inspiring your students to continue pursuing? Hi, I'm Amanda Bernesh. I am part of the film team. It's their work, and I think that's what we have to think about, and it's a team win.

[00:21:07] This is just part of the academic team, I guess the VHSL academic team. I have told my kids, I call it the nerd sports, and they are like, woo-hoo. I also think when I look at film in general, it takes every discipline.

[00:21:25] It is writing, is that Justin in the back? Justin, get up here. He's part of the film team. come here justin i saw you justin i i i i invited them on monday and i was like i know this is last minute oh there's another one maya here this is such a special treat yeah um well when maya's walking up here i was going to say that film is so representational of our school body they have

[00:22:00] to learn how to write and our english teachers help with that um they've taken art classes i am also an art teacher but it is a great extracurricular to get all of those interdisciplinary things so um introduce yourself and tell them what you made my name is justin afro gomez and i made a four minute long film for film festival and almost won my name is maya and i helped make an animation called skipped with lumi void vote uh mr wade like i did not do a film but i saw

[00:22:39] there's and they're fantastic um i've been here before i think the last time i was here i asked you all for money um more please no we get taken care of i promise um i'm in charge i'm the sponsor for our literary magazine and our creative writing programs and again i wish my students were here but they're doing other things they're at choir camp they're doing band things they're not here because they are committed to our school and doing great things at our school and um we have great high schools in this county but I will never let anybody tell a Clover Hill kid they can't do something because that's just wrong they will do anything you challenge them to do including when

[00:23:18] three years ago I was like man it'd be really nice to get a first place win at the VHSL creative running competition and one of my students Abby my editor was like all right and she did that this year she was first place in state just because she wanted to right so that's the kind of talent we have at Clover Hill and I'm proud of them every day. Thanks again. Congratulations. If I could ask

[00:23:54] Dr. Deanna Moreau to come forward to the time. Dr. Deanna Moreau was named the 2025 Math Specialist Educator of the Year by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She's an elementary math curriculum specialist for Cheshwag and Public Schools and also serves as an adjunct professor at George Mason University and Averitt University. In announcing the award, the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics wrote, quote, your exceptional contributions to mathematics education

[00:24:32] have been recognized. This prestigious award truly honors and acknowledges your passion, ingenuity, and dedication, end quote. Dr. Moreau also noted this recognition carries extra special meaning because her mother, Patricia Taylor, who taught math at Meadowbrook High, won this award in 1990. Please join in congratulating Dr. Deanna Moreau. So math specialists, math teachers hold a special place for me because that is where the future is going for our children, and we need

[00:25:09] educators who are willing to turn the light on for them and let them know they can do these things right because it might seem daunting but if you have the right educator in the room they make it easier and I'm so proud of you and thank you so much for representing so well I'm not going to make you cry but if you want to share the most excellent experience you've had being a math educator a specialist you could share absolutely so my passion is definitely lies in math education

[00:25:37] And I've worked with such phenomenal teachers, students, administrators, principals, everyone in Chesterfield County as a product of Chesterfield County Public Schools and phenomenal math teachers myself. I'm just so proud to walk in this profession.

[00:25:53] So thank you very much for this honor. If I could ask our visual arts educators of the year to come forward this time.

[00:26:14] Each year, Chesterfield County Public Schools recognizes outstanding visual arts teachers.

[00:26:33] Congratulations go to the 2025 honorees. Shell Langston of Hopkins Elementary is the Elementary Visual Arts Educator of the Year. Erin Smith of the Adaptive Arts Program is the Middle School Visual Arts Educator of the Year. Shannon Sissoko of Thomasdale High is the High School Visual Arts Educator of the Year.

[00:26:53] And Zoe Brinson of Thomasdale High is the New to the Profession Visual Arts Educator of the Year. Please join me in congratulating these educators. So from the left brain activity with math to the right side of the brain, because we need the balance. And what happens in these classrooms, and I can only speak personally for what happens at Hopkins, because I've had four bobcats go through there and still still there, the things that you're able to do with your kids, to turn the light on for them, to let them explore things they didn't think they could do. And then they come home, and it's all your fault.

[00:27:32] And they make these projects at home. And they do these creative things on the walls and on the refrigerators and all the things. And it's amazing to see their minds work. I have a little builder in my house now and an artist in my house now and I think that because of what you're doing in your schools and what you're doing in your classrooms you're pouring into them letting them believe in themselves because there's no wrong answer in art right and they let me know that when they color outside the lines I'm like they're like no that's art mom that's art so if you want

[00:28:07] to show your favorite art experience in the classroom well that's me if I'm nervous I'm used of talking to children um but my uh favorite experience happened last year um we had just finished a paper mache lesson and one of my students enjoyed it so much she came to school the next day with several paper mache jellyfish to show me which was wonderful okay um my favorite experience hmm i um i think getting to see the students final productions and when they see it up

[00:28:42] at a show or in the school and how proud they are of it is most rewarding and we do teach math and art also and so we do integrate that in there too there's um but I I wanted to say also like my favorite part of teaching art is getting the students to understand that we make an impact on absolutely every profession out there whether it is architecture or my brother's a lawyer someone has to design his publications and his media and his furniture. And we impact the world. You cannot

[00:29:19] have a world without art. And we matter. So teaching the students to be an advocate and how much we impact football teams, their uniforms, their field, the design of everything. It's us. It starts with us. I guess I'd have to say my favorite part of teaching art is teaching the chatters children but art has always been my passion my whole life and I really enjoy getting

[00:29:55] to to share that with all the children and inspiring that love in them it's it's wonderful like Zoe was saying when they they come to you with things that they've made which your daughter did and we were learning to sew and then she brought a pillow in that she made which I still have hanging up in the room um and just getting them to find their inner artist and find their own way to express themselves because um your children are right there there is no wrong way

[00:30:25] with art and it's about finding your own voice one more hand for these great educators next up we'd like to recognize our departing school board advisory committee members to come forward at this

[00:30:47] time advisory committees established by the cheshire county school board are one way that community members connect with their local schools advisory committee members are appointed from each of the county's five magisterial districts and include parents, teachers, staff members, students, and other community members interested in helping Chester County Public Schools achieve its mission

[00:31:26] and vision. Chester County School Board wishes to thank those who fully completed their terms of service on the board's various advisory committees. From the CCPS Audit and Finance Committee, Stephen Miller-Pitts, Bermuda District. From the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee, Skip Harreld, Matoika District. From the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, Jason Young, Clover Hill District, and Dwayne McLean, Dale District. From the Gifted Education Advisory Committee, Marianne Pitts, Clover Hill District, Bianca Smith, teacher, Crestwood Elementary School, Brian McGill, teacher, Talmont Creek Middle School, Don King, gifted specialist, Kimberly Parnell,

[00:32:04] Principal, Mosley Elementary School, Cartyatta Goel, student, L.C. Byrd High School. And from the School Health Advisory Board, Dr. Kimberly Lingler, Clover Hill District, and Dr. Sally Mountcastle, Matulka District. Please join me in congratulating and thanking these members of the school board advisory committee. I think one of the greatest things that we can do is listen to the voices that we are a part of the community and we're a very unique community here in

[00:32:38] Chesterfield County. And so it takes a village to raise a child and part of that village are as the advisory boards and to be able to hear what teachers and parents are thinking and passing that up not only to the school board but to the superintendent and to the cabinet is extremely important and you have taken time out of your evenings or your mornings depending upon when your committee met to come in and collaborate and how do we move ccps forward because that's what this is all about is our kids educating our kids and making sure that we are producing the best

[00:33:14] the society can have from ccps and so on behalf of the chestwood county school board i greatly appreciate your time and your commitment to uh to our students so thank you very much for all that

[00:33:26] you have done thank you next we have recognition of outstanding driver performance dr fry madam

[00:34:05] chair board members mr roberts it's my pleasure this evening to introduce to you our outstanding drivers for the summer there are many bus drivers who could have been recognized this summer but each transportation area manager had to make the tough decision of selecting a single driver who exemplified excellence and dedication to represent their area. We'd like to recognize and honor the following drivers for their work this summer. And let me say they did work all summer, so if you are on vacation right now. Christine Loke, Area 1, bus 497, two years of service. She's not with us this

[00:34:43] evening except in her recognition as Ms. Harris, the Area 1 manager. Christine has a positive attitude and is willing to work with our newest drivers to ensure they will be successful as they start their new career. She builds great bonds with the students and schools that she drives for.

[00:35:02] Sheila Barnes, Area 2, bus 972, 15 years of service. She's unable to join us this evening. Ms. Jeffer, our Area 2 manager, is here to accept her recognition. Sheila always has a positive attitude and volunteers to help everyone in need. She has stepped up to use her extensive knowledge and abilities to become a mentor, and her efforts were crucial to the success of our new drivers that she worked with this summer. Normisha Massey, Area 3, bus 911, one year of service.

[00:35:42] Normisha says the children are what drives her to come to work every day and why she loves her job. She states that if she's having a bad day, seeing the kids makes it all better. Wade Riddle, Area 4, bus 942, two years of service.

[00:36:03] Wade is a very dedicated bus driver, not just for summer school, but all year long. Wade had perfect attendance last year for the past year, and he's happy to help whenever is needed. Ben Shaw, Area 5, bus 335, one year of service.

[00:36:21] He's unable to join us, but Mr. Howell will accept his award. our area five assistant manager. Ben says, what I love about driving for area five is that I really feel like I'm part of the family's educational team. When he's out in the county, parents come up to him and thank him for everything that he does. Thank you. Oh, no, not yet. Not yet. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. It was, yeah, you should have been quicker on that one. Just not on the gas pedal, right? So first of all, on behalf of the Chancellor of the County School Board, thank you so

[00:36:58] much for being the most, what I would consider, important part of the beginning of the day for our students, because you do represent Chesfield County Public Schools. You are the first employee, if you will, that the kids see. And that's extremely important, because you're setting the tone for their day, and how you're greeting them, and then throughout the trip, and then you see them when they get off the bus, when they go home, and they remember you. I know because my three kids will tell me about their bus driver, right? And by the way, Dr. Frye, positive things about the bus driver. But you do, I say that because you make an impact. Whether you

[00:37:34] realize it that day or maybe next week or a month or a year from now, you impact our children in such a positive way. And so I just want to thank you for what you do. Sometimes you might feel like it's a thankless job. But I can tell you as a parent, thank you. Thank you, thank you. So I know we don't have all of the honorees here this evening, but I would like the opportunity, you talk them up talk about them and how great they are and if you'd like to as Dr. Fry said I'm Scott Howell

[00:38:08] Area 5 assistant manager accepting this on behalf of Ben Shaw he earned the driver of the month for his efforts this summer as a runner and a mentor as many of you know sped transportation is in full swing all summer long that includes Fridays Ben did a fantastic job mentoring the newly trained drivers getting them comfortable in our seats all summer long he was not here he's not here tonight of course but he's honored to receive this award. Wade Riddle uh part of Area 4 transportation team I think that's the best thing about being a bus driver being uh part of a supportive friendly

[00:38:46] team like that. Hi I'm at Area 3 it's Normisha Massey and the best part is at the end of the day when we let the kids off and happy to see them go home with their parents. Hi I'm Pam Jeffer Area 2 manager. Sheila is taking a well-deserved vacation this week because she worked all summer um again And she was a mentor teaching the drivers who recently got their CDL and really setting them up for success so that next week they are ready and able to pick up all the students.

[00:39:24] And I'm Candace. I'm the Area 1 manager. And I am super proud to be a part of your support system to keep you going every day. Just one more thing. And correct me if I'm wrong.

[00:39:39] We're fully staffed. Correct? We are fully staffed for our bus division. That is a credit to our leaders, to our trainers, and to those who are looking to impact Jesuit County Public Schools. So thank you. Next, we have public comment period.

[00:40:08] For this meeting, citizens were given the option of submitting their comments online or in person. Comments submitted via the online form were sent to the board prior to the start of tonight's meeting, posted to the board doc's site, and will be included in full as an addendum to the meeting minutes.

[00:40:26] in-person comments will be summarized by the board clerk and included in the official meeting minutes documents submitted along with in-person comments will upon request be distributed to the board but not included as a part of the board's official minutes madam clerk would you please announce this evening's in-person speakers madam chair we have four speakers this evening they are LaShawn McCoy, Chris Grubb, Rob Hamill, and Courtney Friedland. Each speaker will have four minutes to address the board. There's a timer set up on the top of the podium that will turn green

[00:41:02] when you begin speaking, yellow when you have 30 seconds remaining, and red when your time has expired. As a reminder, no personal belongings other than a cell phone and speaker notes are allowed at the podium. Please have your materials organized in a manner that as you arrive at the podium you are prepared to start speaking. Please note that comments equivalent to campaigning for any public office or in violation of school board policy 1110 or prohibited may we have

[00:41:26] la sean mccoy chris grubb hey how you doing um so my name is uh chris grubb and i am an educator and a parent i work for the district up north a little bit uh but i live in foxfield which is a

[00:42:05] neighborhood of mosley uh and i'm here to talk about uh the redistricting for the new elementary school that's coming in i know the middle school is starting soon um and as you can see from the notes or the little handout here it is a map um and i know it's coming around but it kind of shows you where we are located we're a very very small neighborhood uh in the woodwind section of fox creek uh currently my daughter will be zoned for woolridge elementary which is close um while our neighbors right across our street are zoned for mosley elementary um and after sitting here and

[00:42:43] and kind of listening to all these great things that chesterfield county schools is offering i'm very proud that my daughter is going to be a student at chesterfield county schools i'm just here to bring attention to our small section and request that we be included and not have to fight to be included in plans going forward for this new elementary school we know know that there's current development in for Thacker's View, which is bringing 168 single family homes and 88 townhomes to the area, which is going to push those kids right into

[00:43:21] those schools that are located and could cause some overcrowding. Foxfield is just a mile, over a mile to both Woolridge and the new elementary school, so location is really not barrier driving bus times will remain almost identical since our neighborhood is at the intersection of Otterdale and Woolridge we are currently zoned for the new Deep Creek middle school and it would be a huge win for my young student and other young students in our neighborhood to seamlessly transition

[00:43:58] through their schools at the same location again I am thrilled to see the growth in our area and i'm just here to advocate for my daughter to go to the school that makes the most sense i have no worry that she's going to be well taken care of educationally and socially i just want these school zones to make sense logistically thank you thank you mr grub may we

[00:44:29] have rob hamel hello everyone i'm both honored and very excited to introduce myself as the new president of the chesterfield education association i was elected by the membership in april of 2025 and officially assumed the duties of the office on July 1st.

[00:44:55] I am a product of the Chesterfield County school system. I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. I went to Robius Elementary in Middle before graduating from the Maggie Walker Governor's School. And it was in high school that I first had the opportunity to learn American Sign Language. And I went on to spend my educational career working with deaf and hard of hearing children.

[00:45:14] In Chesterfield, I worked as both an interpreter and an ASL teacher. But that's enough about me. Let's talk about what's happening in Chesterfield County right now. Teacher Workweek has started, and I'm hearing lots of great stories from members who are jumping into the 2025-2026 school year. Our custodians and building supervisors and our entire facility staff have been hard at work all summer.

[00:45:34] I would like to take a moment to acknowledge all that they do. We can't open a single building without our custodians. We can't turn on the lights without facilities. Thank you to all of them for making education possible for our students. At Bonaire Elementary, Dr. Kleiss led her staff in an emotional and cathartic collaborative art project yesterday.

[00:45:53] All together, the staff created a canvas that was the size of a wall, and they intended their painting to symbolize the chaos that they will overcome throughout the year. So at the bottom of the painting, there's all these beautiful abstract colors, and they painted a tree at the top to symbolize overcoming chaos.

[00:46:09] So hopefully that'll inspire them for the rest of the school year. Laura Abbott from the Chesterfield Virtual School wants you all to know that the new 2025 Secondary Social Studies curriculum looks fantastic. Ms. Abbott goes on to say that the curriculum specialists added a bunch of useful resources to make teaching the new standards a breeze.

[00:46:27] The Social Studies Department got to see all their new materials and get a jumpstart on their lesson planning at a meaningful and efficient professional development day. So at CEA, we also have goals and aspirations this year that I'd like to tell you all about. We intend to grow our leadership by recruiting people into our committees.

[00:46:45] Having more leaders will allow us to spread information more easily to the membership, and then having a deeper bench will enable us to divide the work of our organization more effectively. Secondly, we'd like to help CCPS retain our staff. Dr. Wilson at Bensley Elementary told us yesterday that Bensley lost 20% of their workforce at the end of the last school year.

[00:47:06] That's obviously a big problem, and bringing in onboarding new people is a big expense. CEA and our state partners at the Virginia Education Association have a treasure trove of training materials we would love to make available to our educators. VEA can provide workshops to support things like classroom management, assessment, and passing the praxis.

[00:47:27] We have online modules and in-person training opportunities. Those materials are free for members and they're offered at reduced cost for non-members and large groups. I hope this is an opportunity where we can partner with the district and ensure that all of our staff have the skills they need for success. Everybody here at CCPS comes to work because they feel the call to do so.

[00:47:46] We all want our students to live in a world that is safe, supportive, and full of opportunities to learn. I can't wait to see how we can accomplish that goal together. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hummel. May we have Courtney Breedlin?

[00:48:07] Hi, Board. My name is Courtney Friedlein. I live in Richmond City and I'm a former employee of CCPS. I was employed as a budget analyst from August 2024 through April 2025. I'm here before the board today because it's not often that government employees have the opportunity to speak up about the wrongs that are occurring behind the scenes. We're usually bound to keep our lips sealed and protect our careers and I don't have that same concern. I suspected that Chesterfield didn't understand who they were hiring when I first got the offer. Most other government agencies wouldn't consider it based on my six-year break from administration to become a community leader

[00:48:46] in grassroots political and union organizing in my hometown of Buffalo, New York. While the current leadership will likely tell you a variety of lies as to why they fired me, the truth is that they realized that I wasn't going to sit by quietly like other outsiders do when they join CCPS. It's my professional training and experience as a government budget analyst and my responsibility to the community at large that has compelled me to come before you today. Since my time is limited, I'll jump to what I believe are the most pressing issues. I came to CCPS with over 20 years of government experience and over a decade in budget. I have a master's degree in public administration and years of formal budget training. I'm telling you about my background

[00:49:23] because what I found was a concerning lack of formality and transparency in both the budget and personnel processes. There was no onboarding and no transition plan when I was hired and the budget manager subsequently left two months later. There are no formal performance review processes, at least in administration. So when I asked about annual reviews, other staff told me not to expect them. I was just told to ask questions about the budget process, but when I asked questions, I found that most budget practices and processes I would have expected to see were non-existent, and that CCPS was responding to several audit failures directly as a result. Having a background in these areas and only having about 15 hours worth

[00:49:59] of work to do each week despite being full-time, I prepared white papers, templates, and simple recommendations that could be easily and quickly implemented, but the managers took my suggestions as threats and defended themselves rather than discussing possible solutions. This is the first time in over 30 years of working that I've been asked to dumb myself down.

[00:50:18] Possibly more important was the misrepresentation of culture. I was excited to join a school district, and when I asked about the culture, I was told it's just a group of people that care about kids. But what I never heard in my eight months on staff was really anything about the kids. As an analyst, we often use demographics in our analyses, so I was excited to see that Chesterfield County has a fairly diverse racial makeup as compared to other suburbs.

[00:50:40] However, what I found reflected in the administration was mostly white women and men who are employed not because of their experience in education, but rather their proximity to someone else in the organization. This patronage system for hiring has resulted in senior and mid-level management clique of people who do not reflect the demographic makeup of the community and make it clear to anyone from outside to keep their heads down in mind their business, regardless of their professional background and experience.

[00:51:04] More shocking than the clique behavior was the vowed racism. For months leading up to our move to Springline, women in finance repeatedly complained about the drive and imagined safety hazards of moving to that side of town. What does that say about how they feel about the students and families on that side of town? During a budget meeting, we were advised that one or more board members was interested in putting more funding into dual language programming and support for families that do not speak English.

[00:51:27] And the reactions ranged from indignation that people would expect special treatment to the beginnings of secondhand stories that I promptly stopped once I suggested I share stories from my experience as a community organizer. Many of these people worked in schools before they came to administration, suggesting many are still there, interacting with our children.

[00:51:45] Behavior is alarming, and I thought it was important to bring it to the attention of the board since management refused to address anything while I was there. I know my time is up, so please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions. I thank you for your time. Thank you, Courtney. Madam Chair, that concludes this evening's public comment.

[00:52:04] Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next, we have this evening's superintendent's report, Dr. Murray. Thank you, Madam Chair. Tonight, we have just one presentation under the Meaningful Moments segment of the meeting. This presentation highlights the first day of school at Bellwood Elementary.

[00:52:22] The first day of school is always a great time because there is so much excitement. Bellwood kicked off the 25-26 school year on July 21st, and Ms. Coker and I and several other members of our leadership team were able to be there joining in the celebration.

[00:52:40] I enjoyed some time on the bus loop, giving high fives and talking with many students while they had breakfast, even got a lesson on some Godzilla fire-breathing toy. I hope that didn't make the presentation, Sean, but we're soon to find out.

[00:52:58] But in any event, interacting with students never gets old. I want to give a shout-out to the principal, Jennifer Rudd, and her staff. They are off to a great start. We look for the same to occur at the rest of our schools come Monday.

[00:53:15] So here are some highlights of the first day at Bellwood. Enjoy.

[00:53:19] Thank you, Dr. Murray, and thank you, Sean, for the video there.

[00:54:20] Your team did a great job, and it was such a fun day, fun morning, to see all those students being excited about coming to school and can't wait to see what our kids faces on Monday and Tuesday over the upcoming week. board members is there any discussion right so next we have items for board review madam clerk would you please read the items for this evening madam chair tonight's agenda includes the following items for board review number one magisterial district improvement funds fyi 2025 number two

[00:54:58] magisterial district improvement funds fyi 2026 number three budget change request summary across categories may 2025 number four budget change request summary across categories june 2025 number five fy 2025 may expenditures versus appropriations number six board committee reports number seven pre-k update may 2025 and number eight ccps strategic plan progress review thank you madam clerk next we have this evening superintendent's remarks dr murray thank you

[00:55:33] Madam Chair. It's with great excitement that I welcome everybody back to yet another school year. We had a wonderful and busy summer. We opened two beautiful buildings a few weeks apart, A.M. Davis and Deep Creek Middle School, and then we topped off at Western Area Elementary just, I guess, yesterday morning. So exciting times abound, and we've got a few more schools to open next year and then a big one the year after that.

[00:56:08] So Chesterfield continues to grow, but frankly we're playing catch up with our infrastructure and that's just okay with me because our kids deserve these modern innovative places to learn and grow and contribute. I forgot who mentioned it, I think it was Reed in work session, well one of our public commenters as well. But I too want to thank everybody who has got us to a point to open with success on Monday. There was a lot of heavy lifting that was occurring. One of those to reemphasize

[00:56:47] something that has been well discussed and communicated over the past year is weapons detection at our middle and high schools. And to that end, I want to thank the county government in particular our board of supervisors for allocating the funds that were necessary to to see that initiative come through after extensive research and demoing to see how appropriate it would be for chesterfield and you know what we came to reconcile with ourselves was

[00:57:19] that while instruction is our business maintaining and ensuring optimal safety and security of our kids is our main priority. And so it is with no apology that I make that we are better taking care to deter nefarious intent, thereby better preserving life within our schools where our children deserve to come in an anxious free environment and setting. It will present a new

[00:57:53] routine for our 6th through 12th graders. And we feel that very confidently that over the next few days of going through these very easy to throughput systems, that it will become a very quick learn process and part of their normal day-to-day. I also want to highlight transportation for our community. Come Monday, the roads are going to get a lot busier. Please give those

[00:58:27] drivers some grace, but also be a little more cognizant of your surroundings while you're on the road. We have kids who walk to school, as an example. We have speed zone cameras that have been installed throughout the county, and we are beginning the process of applying school bus stop-arm cameras that will better protect our students as they come to and from school.

[00:58:57] We've also, in partnered effort with county government, seen enhanced signage, flashing signs, as well as crosswalks. And we will continue to monitor and evaluate traffic patterns for the first month.

[00:59:18] And as we need to make adjustments to our resource allocations, we will do it at that time. I also want to remind our families that vaccines, especially for our seventh and senior students, are very important.

[00:59:35] They're required unless any type of appropriate exemption is being applied. So make sure if you haven't submitted those that you get those to schools so there's no incident come the first day. And then lastly, and to Mr. Grubb's comments this evening, we've got a lot of big work on the horizon this fall.

[00:59:58] So enjoy this very light business meeting tonight because in the fall we will be talking about redistricting in a few locations. But it's all in the spirit of strategically taking care and spacing our students such that we are doing our best to make sure that they are inside of the brick and mortar and not in trailers outside of our building to the extent possible.

[01:00:27] We will also enjoy hopefully naming the new elementary school here very shortly. A lot of other work to include a CIS ribbon cutting out at Hopkins, I believe in September, October, September, soon. So just another added resource for our kids.

[01:00:45] So a lot of excitement. We look forward to having everybody back on Monday. Thank you, Madam Chair. That's all. Thank you, Dr. Murray. Next, we have announcements, communications, and school board comments.

[01:01:03] School board members, are there any announcements or comments this evening? Madam Chair. Ms. Efron, sorry. sorry no I just wanted to thank all of the folks who did a lot of heavy lifting over the summer to make our buildings ready for teachers this week who are busy setting up their classrooms making them welcoming spaces for learning and growth and I wanted to just say I'm very excited for next Monday it's gonna be a very big day and looking forward to welcoming our students back

[01:01:40] into the buildings. Mrs. Hutchins. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to also say how excited I am that there's nothing more exciting. You know, teacher work week, you get back, you make your classroom just welcoming and you've got your curriculum and the books come back in the classroom and you're learning your students' names and, you know, whatever. It is exciting

[01:02:12] And the goal is to welcome those students in a welcoming space that they can learn in. And that is why we are here. And that is what we are doing. And it is such a positive, energetic time.

[01:02:29] And I love it. And I cannot wait for Monday and Tuesday. And I just want to wish everyone, staff, students, teachers, administrators, our superintendents, and deputy, a good 2025-26 school year.

[01:02:51] Mrs. Chatters. So I just wanted to say a couple of things. I wanted to give a shout out to our HR department. I went to the new teacher orientation last week, and I am very pleased to see that we are successful in making our staff reflective of the community that they're serving.

[01:03:16] I did see a lot of diverse teachers in the room, and I am very pleased about that. That makes my heart happy that we have so much going on for teachers across the board that we still are drawing in quality folks that are reflective of the community they're serving.

[01:03:32] Second, a little bit of unsolicited advice for some families. I've been doing that a lot lately. If your principals and your teachers are going to send out an email every Sunday, every Sunday you're going to get an email.

[01:03:48] And the last year and a half, what I've seen is some of our parents are not reading those emails. And I get it. It's busy. You're hectic. But I have four kids in there. I get four emails every Sunday. Read the email. There's a lot of information in there that's going to help you navigate the week.

[01:04:06] We cannot depend on our children to come back home and tell us everything. That is vital for us to know. So please read those emails. And then the last thing is, if you have the time, please join your PTAs or your PTOs. That is an opportunity for you to learn more about what's going on in your schools, to help out your teachers, to be there for your kids, and to see the other kids that your children are hanging out with, see what's going on, what the needs are, and an opportunity to give back that you cannot even measure.

[01:04:37] So that's my PTA mom plug, and I hope everyone has a great 2025, 2026 year. Mr. Perranto. Thank you, Madam Chair. I greatly appreciate our speakers this evening.

[01:04:53] The gentleman that was speaking about Foxfield, when we redistricted the middle school, Foxfield is a very small section, but they were very loud in their communication with me about what their desires were.

[01:05:08] And that was to be included with the folks that were literally right across the street from them. And so I appreciate the advocacy for that redistricting for the elementary school for us to take into consideration as we move forward. We also have a brand new Deep Creek Middle School, which we're very excited about, that's going to present its own unique challenge as we start the new year with a different traffic pattern, parents dropping off their kids for the first time, navigating the buses in that area, as well as then their students going through our weapons detection system.

[01:05:46] And so what I ask for is patience in that process as the teachers and staff and students get into a routine. And in that routine, the parents, I'm sure, especially with the drop-off process and pickup, will be routine as well.

[01:06:03] We want to make sure that we're safe and that our parents are safe and driving. And I think you mentioned it, Dr. Murray, with children walking to school, not only in the Matohoka District, but across Chesterfield County, if they have that opportunity to. for our drivers down the road to be cognizant of that come Monday and then Tuesday.

[01:06:22] And so we look forward to a great year. And I will add my thanks to the ones that have already been given for the staff across Chesfield County who have done an excellent job in getting our schools ready, our buses ready, fully staffed, which is fantastic.

[01:06:39] We could not say that just a few years ago. We can now say that, which I think is outstanding work on the administration to recognize a problem and then fix that, which is not an easy undertaking to have. So thank you for that. And let's have a great school year.

[01:06:56] Thank you. And I ditto all the comments of my colleagues up here. And here is to a great 2025-26 school year and looking forward to starting on Monday. So the school board will hold our next work session on Tuesday, September 9th, 2025 at 4 p.m.

[01:07:19] here in the public meeting room. It will be followed by a business meeting at 6.30 p.m. If there's no further business, we need a motion to adjourn. I make a motion to adjourn. Madam Clerk, would you please call roll on the motion? Dot Heffron. Aye. Dominique Chatters. Aye.

[01:07:38] Stephen Pronto. Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. Ann Coker. Aye. The motion carries. The August 12th, 2025 school board business meeting is adjourned.

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