Coraggio Consulting
Chesterfield County School Board Business Meeting, Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Place: Chesterfield County School Board, Virginia
Length: 1h 41m (video)
Official meeting video (Swagit): https://chesterfieldschoolsva.new.swagit.com/videos/374810
Official minutes (BoardDocs, on the Mar 10, 2026 agenda for approval): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/chesterfield/Board.nsf/pfiles/DRWLJ956C01F/$file/DRAFT%20MINUTES%20-%202026.02.10%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] carries. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to call the February 10th, 2026 School Board Business Meeting to order. Before we begin the meeting this evening, I'd like to thank everyone for attending the February 10th 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. Comments from the audience are prohibited and are in violation of Section 18.2-415 of the Code of Virginia,

[00:00:33] Disorderly Conduct in Public Places, and School Board Policy 6141.1. I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding so that we can conduct the business meeting in an orderly fashion. I'd like to take a moment to recognize that this is Black History Month. Black history is American history, and it is more important than ever to ensure that black history remains an integral part of our curriculum. Black History Month is a time for all Chesterfield County Public Schools to learn about and be inspired by black heroes. Chesterfield County

[00:01:10] Public Schools honors diversity and the contributions of our black students, teachers, employees, and families in our school communities past, present, and future. Tonight's agenda includes a school board resolution in honor of Black History Month and the significant contributions of Black Americans to our nation's advancement.

[00:01:32] Also, I don't want to miss an opportunity to mention that Virginia Kindness Week is February 9th through the February 13th. One of my favorite quotes is, In a world where you can be anything, be kind. I hope that everyone carries the spirit of Virginia Kindness Week into the rest of the year.

[00:01:52] Additionally, February 6th was Crossing Guard Appreciation Day, and February 15th is School Resource Officer Appreciation Day in Virginia. Our schools with crossing guards and school resource officers took time to recognize them and express our appreciation for the important roles they play in keeping our students safe.

[00:02:12] We will now have an invocation by Ms. Chatters, followed by the flag salute led by Mr. Pronto. Before tonight's invocation, we want to remember with a moment of silence three outstanding employees who have recently passed away.

[00:02:29] Frances Franny Johnson, a beloved special education teacher at Motowika Elementary with more than 20 years of dedicated service. Franny cared deeply for her students and took great pride in the relationship she built and the growth she witnessed each day, especially as she entered her second year with the same class.

[00:02:47] She enjoyed Legos, Harry Potter, and crafting, but her greatest joy was her daughter. Brandy will be profoundly missed by the Motowika community, and we hold her and her family close in our thoughts and hearts. Joy Perret, a cherished member of the Chesterfield Virtual School community, who passed away on Friday, January 31st, 2026.

[00:03:12] Joy served Chesterfield County Public Schools with dedication and heart, most recently as a special education teacher at the Chesterfield Virtual School. She previously supported students and families as a coordinator of special education at Harrogate Elementary and Bailey Bridge Middle School.

[00:03:29] Throughout her career, Joy was a passionate advocate for students and a source of support for those around her. Joy was known not only for her commitment to education, but also for her love of arts and crafts and for bubbly, positive spirit she brought to every space she entered.

[00:03:50] Every space she entered with creativity, warmth, and kindness, and left a lasting mark on students, colleagues, and families alike. Steve Turner. Steve Turner first began working for CCPS in 2001, working as a custodian, custodian team leader, assistant custodial zone supervisor, and with his most recent assignment starting in 2018 as general maintenance mechanic in the facilities department.

[00:04:19] Steve was the kind of employee everyone enjoyed working with. he was a willing volunteer with a consistently positive attitude. Whenever there was a need for someone to step up and work extra, Steve was always among the first to do so. He was one of the most dedicated, generous, and kind-hearted individuals to serve in the facilities department.

[00:04:41] Strong in his faith, Steve genuinely cared about the well-being of others. He was also the uncle to two of our deputies. Please join me in a moment of silence for these three outstanding individuals. Thank you. In recognition of Black History Month, I have a poem by Marilyn Lott.

[00:05:10] As time goes on, we always hope that advancement is being made. So in the case of Black history, we must never let progress fade. We want to learn and become better and treat everyone with dignity. As the sun rises and the sun sets, we must have freedom and equality. For freedom is granted to everyone. That's what makes our country so great. And it wasn't always that way, of course. It took time to abolish slavery in every state but progress continues to march on and although we cannot erase the past most of us try to treat each other fairly if

[00:05:48] we do I think this progress can last so let's remember black history month let's learn from so many past mistakes and continue making progress each day remember that fairness is what it takes thank you would you please join us at this time for the Pledge of Allegiance stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:06:25] The consent agenda includes agenda adoption, approval of the minutes, January 6, 2026 business meeting, January 22, 2026 budget work session, February 3, 2026 budget work session, memo number 005-26 recommended personnel actions memo 006-26 acceptance of donations resolution of

[00:06:59] recognizing february 2026 is black history month memo zero number 007-26 siip plans for federally identified targeted support and improvement tsi schools and memo 008-26 appointment of members to the school board advisory committee are there any additions or corrections to the consent agenda madam chair there are no additions or corrections to the consent agenda are there any requests from a school board member to separate an item from the consent agenda for discussion and individual

[00:07:35] action hearing none may i have a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented so moved is there a second madam clerk would you please call the roll on the motion Ann Coker. Aye. Jennifer Darby. Aye. Dominique Chatters. Aye. Stephen Pronto. Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. The motion carries. Mr. Smith, would you please announce our new administrators?

[00:08:12] Board members of the reaction this evening, you've appointed Dr. Elizabeth Baber as the new principal for the Western Area High School effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Baber holds her doctorate degree in leadership from BCU. She currently serves as a principal at Matulka High School, previously served as the associate principal at Matulka High School, associate principal of Monacan High School, associate principal, dean of students, and specialty center coordinator at Millithian High School.

[00:08:35] Please join me in congratulating Dr. Elizabeth Baber. Congratulations. Next, we have this evening's public hearings. We have two public hearings scheduled for this evening.

[00:08:57] the first will be held for the superintendent's proposed FY 2027 financial plan. This will be followed by the public hearing for the proposed FY 2027 capital improvement plan. We are very interested in hearing your comments about both proposed plans. The school board will take action to approve the budget and the CIP at the February 24th special meeting of the school board. For both public hearings this evening, citizens were given the option of submitting their comments online

[00:09:31] 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 site, and will be included in full as an addendum to the minutes, meeting minutes. 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 to be distributed to the board but not included as part of the board's official minutes we will now open the public hearing for comments related to the superintendent's proposed

[00:10:07] fy 2027 financial plan madam clerk will you please announce the speakers madam chair one speaker signed up in advance for this public hearing as i'll call your name please come forward and be ready to speak in the order that you are called may may we have wendy little madam chair there were no other speakers that signed up for the public hearing. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Tonight's public hearing for the superintendent's FY 2027 financial plan is

[00:10:47] closed. Next, we will open the public hearing for the comments on the superintendent's proposed FY 2027 capital improvement plan. Madam Clerk, will you please call tonight's speakers? Madam Chair, we had two speakers sign up in advance for this public hearing. As I'll call your names, please come forward and be ready to speak in the order that you are called may we have crystal barker and wendy little as a reminder as a reminder i'll repeat this um protocol for this evening each speaker will have four minutes to address the board there's a timer set up on top

[00:11:23] of the podium that will turn green 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're prepared to start speaking.

[00:11:41] Please note that comments equivalent to campaigning for any public office are in violation of school board policy 1110 and are prohibited. May we have Crystal Barker. Hello, I'm Crystal Barker, proud Chesterfield citizen, high school's parent, and health and physical education department head of 30 years teaching here in CCPS at L.C.

[00:12:03] Bird High School. I've coached over 80 sports teams for students with and without disabilities, and I continue to do so. about seven a year. I am very vested in what I do, and I love our career, and I am here to support you and my fellow people that are here as well to represent a big ask. I need you to reinforce the extreme need for Elsie Byrd to have a gymnasium addition, not in the far future, in the near future. We have been in the situation of dealing with it for way too long.

[00:12:40] I am a National Board recipient tonight, and National Board taught us about reflection. So I'm going to ask you to reflect with me on our core values for CCPS. Integrity, equity, teamwork, and ingenuity. Integrity, 1998, new teacher sitting in L.C. Bird being told we're the first gym that's going to get renovated.

[00:13:00] We were so excited. And I sat there and listened, and our athletic director pointed out there's no additional teaching spaces. We have two, and we're still going to remain having two. There's no additional auxiliary gym. It's going to be the same, but we do need a new floor. The locker rooms are tiny.

[00:13:16] We're going to expand those, and we're also going to give you some new offices, and it's going to be a lot better. And we sat down in a meeting, and he said, wait a minute, we have a better proposal. And he drew up a multi-court gymnasium to be built directly outside behind where we currently were and said, leave our current ones alone.

[00:13:35] We still need them, and we still need them. Leave them alone. But this is almost equitable to the cost. And we were willing to fundraise for the difference. Chesterfield's response was, no, we can't let you do that. Then we would have to build a multi-gymnasium for every high school.

[00:13:55] So here we go. We went ahead and started the project. And partway through, we were told, it's over budget. We're sorry. 50% of your facility is going to stay exactly the same. No new locker rooms. No new offices. No new storage areas. Still two teaching areas in the main gym.

[00:14:13] Still the same floor in the back gym today. it's not fair equity we imagine sitting there as a teacher over a 30-year career this year and watching the same multi-gym proposal that we proposed being built over and over and over again in this county and i teach in services for chesterfield but i teach them at other high schools because i don't have enough room to do what i really want to do i need you to please back the fact that our gymnasium is 1150 and the new ones have up to 2 000 capacity we are where

[00:14:50] champions reign but we can't host the state championships in our gym it's not big enough we have to go to another gym to do that we've earned that right how because in the 20s 2020 we were told we're getting a new gym in 2027 and then it's going to be 2029 and now i look at the capital improvement plan we still are not officially on 2031 we are under additional projects for the future at the bottom of the list we've waited long enough i'm probably going to be out of here before you do it but there's no middle schoolers that are even going to get in it right

[00:15:23] now we need to make a change i haven't seen that equity but i do believe in you teamwork my 10 health and pe teamwork teachers work every day very closely in that 16 by 10 office for five teachers in each locker room to oversee 1200 students and teach seven different curriculums in 50 classes daily throughout the week our teachers focus our lesson plans around reducing movement, not around increasing it.

[00:15:56] Thank you, Ms. Barker. Your time has expired. Thank you. May we have Wendy Little? Madam Chair, no more speakers signed up in advance.

[00:16:14] Thank you, Madam Clark. Tonight's public hearing for the superintendent's proposed FY2027 Capital Improvement Plan is closed. Thank you to all tonight's speakers for both public hearings. We appreciate your comments, feedback, and suggestions.

[00:16:31] The board will take action to approve the FY 2027 financial plan and the FY 2027 capital improvement plan at the February 24th special meeting of the school board. Next, we have awards and recognitions. Mr. Smith.

[00:16:50] If I could ask Justin Savoy to come forward at this time. The Chesterfield Recovery Academy is now accredited through the Association of Recovery Schools.

[00:17:18] Justin Savoy, program director of the Chesterfield Recovery Academy, received word in late December that the association's thorough review resulted in a positive evaluation. Across the United States, only 12 schools hold this distinction. The evaluation noted in particular that Chesterfield Recovery Academy excels in educational practices and its recovery practices have many strong elements, especially mental health support.

[00:17:39] Please join me congratulating the Chesterfield Recovery Academy. Thank you so much for the work that you do and the honor that this represents for the work that your entire staff has done to get this accreditation.

[00:17:59] That is just really exciting. It's a great, incredible service to the students who need to attend your school. And so I'm just so thankful for the work that you do and this honor. I'm excited for what this means for our students. Is there anything you'd like to share? I would just like to thank the county.

[00:18:16] I will say that this is my third school district, and this is the most support I've ever received at the admin. So I really appreciate the opportunity of being here and bringing this opportunity to the region. We are leading the state. Because of the efforts in Chesterfield, the state has taken effort, and we now have representation in DOE and Department of Behavioral Health because of what Chesterfield has done.

[00:18:36] And so I thank you all for the support and many years to come. If I could ask Sue Anderson to come forward this time.

[00:18:55] And after Sue, we're going to do the statewide art awards and then the NBCT teachers. Congratulations to Sue Anderson, who is honored by the Virginia Association of Science Teachers for her work teaching science at Carver College and Career Academy.

[00:19:19] The association annually presents RISE awards in several categories to spotlight the excellent work by science educators across Virginia. Sue won for teaching at-risk students. Sue joined Jethro County Public Schools in 1999, and since 2000 has taught at Harvard College and Career Academy, where she also leads the science department.

[00:19:36] Please join me in congratulating Sue Anderson. And I would just like to add one other piece in here. This was stated for your nomination. What distinguishes Sue most is her unwavering commitment to cultivating meaningful relationships with her students.

[00:19:59] She recognizes that academic success is built upon trust and mutual respect. So congratulations. You are doing amazing things with our students in your science classroom. What would you like to share about what makes science exciting and what you give our students in everyday classroom?

[00:20:20] I think it all comes back to the leadership team who's always willing to let us try anything. They're always like, give it a try. Let's see how it works out. They're just very open to trying new things.

[00:20:39] And, of course, we have great professional development. And a wonderful secondary science specialist, also, Janine Delia, has really helped me out a lot. Congratulations. It shows. Next up, we have our art awards.

[00:21:04] I've got to ask Jimmy and Shannon to come forward this time.

[00:21:16] Virginia's Art Educator of the Year and Virginia's Secondary Art Educator of the Year both teach in Cheshire County Public Schools. Jimmy Hurd, the CCPS Visual Art Curriculum Specialist, is Virginia's Art Educator of the Year, and the Virginia Art Education Association's name, Shannon Shosoko, of Thomasdale High School, is the State's Secondary Art Educator of the Year.

[00:21:38] Please join me in congratulating both of these educators. Congratulations to you both. Art is such an important thing to have in our curriculum, and honored that in the Bermuda District is the High School for the Center of the Arts.

[00:21:58] And thank you for what you do for our Thomas Dale students and, Jimmy, for what you do to lead the art curriculum for CCPS. Anything you would like to share this evening? I just want to thank everyone I work with.

[00:22:14] I've been here in Chesterfield since 1985 as a kindergartner at Chalkley Elementary School. And I love my job, and I love my experience working with all the fantastic teachers and students and colleagues and supervisors that we have here.

[00:22:33] It's truly a special place, and I can't thank everyone enough. And I would like to thank Jimmy also, because he's a great art curriculum specialist. And thank you, Anne. I had the pleasure of teaching Anne's son at the Specialty Center.

[00:22:49] And I also, I started in Chesterfield while I'm teaching at Thomas Dale, and I graduated from Thomas Dale, and Ann and I rode the bus to Thomas Dale together many moons ago. But I love what I do also, and I love being an advocate for the arts in the schools, and I think they are very important to make our students a holistic human.

[00:23:15] Congratulations. If I could ask our National Board Certified Teachers to come forward this time, and the next recognition will be for our school counselors.

[00:24:07] National Board Certification is the highest mark of professional achievement in teaching, with only 4% of teachers in the United States earning this distinction. Tonight, we're celebrating our teachers who recently achieved National Board Certification and our educators who renewed their certification. Seven teachers earned their initial certification in 2025.

[00:24:25] Aaron Ewing, Watkins Elementary, Jamie Gardner, Old 100 Elementary, Adrian Haskins, Old 100 Elementary, Chelsea Joyner, Crestwood Elementary, Sarah McClellan, Crestwood Elementary, Catherine Sears, Burt High School, and Christy Sharp, Clover Hill Elementary.

[00:24:41] And six teachers renewed their certification in 2025. Crystal Barker, Burt High School, Jody Bowen-Taylor, Manchester High, Terry Jeans, Watkins Elementary, Gregory Leindecker, Matoka Middle, Karen Richardson, Bird High School, and Kimberly Royal, Deep Creek Middle. Please feel me congratulating these National Bird Certified Teachers. We bring a lot of folks up here through the course of the year

[00:25:15] for many great things that they're doing. But this particular recognition, to me, is above and beyond. Roughly in the United States, there's between 4 and 5 million teachers. 141,000 of them have achieved the National Board Certification. You are among 4%, the top 4% of those teachers.

[00:25:42] That just blows my mind, that on top of everything else that you've done in your teaching, your families, everything you've got going on in life, you decided, you know what, I need to up my game a little bit more. This is the highest award that you can get as a teacher. And each and every one of you represents the best of Cheshire County Public Schools. And so on behalf of the school board, thank you for not only continuing your education, but then also coming back to the classroom and pouring that into our kids. We had a great example tonight of reflection. And there's many other things that is taught. And I look forward to seeing the fruit of your labor through

[00:26:22] our kids as they progress on through the grade. So again, thank you very much. We do have your pin and just a small gift for you on your way out. But is there anyone that would like to share anything about your journey and why this was important to you? We all knew this was going to happen. Like I was introduced, my name is Karen Richardson. I'm an English teacher at LC Bird.

[00:26:49] I'm not going to get emotional, but Terry and I had the honor of going through the meta cohort with several of the school divisions in the Richmond area. And then we were approached by a certain somebody in the Office of Professional Development about starting Chesterfield's own national board cohort.

[00:27:08] And that is something that I am incredibly proud of. As someone who went through this process and has helped to continue to serve and to teach others about this process, I am so proud of every single one of you. As I'm proud of, I didn't go through the cohort with all of you, but I'm also very proud of all of you.

[00:27:36] Well, listen, again, on behalf of the school board, thank you so very much. And can we please give them another round of applause?

[00:28:14] Next up, if I ask our school counselors

[00:28:59] to come forward this time.

[00:29:29] Before the 2nd through the 6th was the National School Counseling Week, an annual recognition designed to focus public attention on the contribution of school counselors within United States school systems.

[00:29:52] As Cheshire County continues to grow and change, so do the needs of students in schools. As a result, the role of the school counselor has changed. Today's school counselors help meet the wide-ranging academic, social, and mental health needs of our students. Each year, Cheshire County Public Schools recognizes outstanding school counselors who go above and beyond in order to maximize student success and promote access and opportunity for all students.

[00:30:14] Congratulations to these school council leaders who are all in for all students. Outstanding First Year Counselor of the Year, Hannah Dowdy of Monacan High School. Outstanding Elementary School Counselor of the Year, Kristen Bailey Hardy of Falling Creek Elementary.

[00:30:34] Outstanding Middle School Counselor of the Year, Christopher Jeter of Falling Creek Middle. And Outstanding High School Counselor of the Year, Anna Thin Lacks of Thomsdale High School. So we have the best of the best standing before us.

[00:30:55] And I just want to say that the amount of workload that we give to our school counselors, you guys are amazing. You manage to make safe spaces for children to feel seen and heard. You give them opportunities to be their authentic selves.

[00:31:11] You're guiding them, not pushing them. You're helping them critically think for themselves to come up with solutions to their own problems, and it's amazing work that you're doing. And we know, we hope that you don't think it's a thankless job because we appreciate you, and every child that walks into your offices appreciates you as well.

[00:31:30] Me, personally, thankful for school counselors because I have two children that come to your offices probably more than any other child. And I appreciate the coping skills that are brought home so that I can help my child understand how to deal with big emotions and how we handle mean friends and fun friends and how it always changes.

[00:31:50] And I'm just grateful for the work that you're doing and everything you're pouring back into our children and the awkward time. Are you going to tell us what your favorite thing is about being a school counselor?

[00:32:06] Besides, yes, yes, I am just really thankful to work in such a wonderful school at Falling Creek Elementary School with a wonderful staff and amazing children and families and thankful for Mr. Johnson, since you brought up Daisy, especially allowing us to be, you know, really one of the first elementary schools to have a therapy dog at school.

[00:32:33] and so Daisy really has been a wonderful tool to my toolbox as I'm providing tools for children as well so I would say bringing Daisy in is definitely been a highlight most recently. I mean I think we would all say working with the students I mean that's that's why we do this job. The other thing that I think is one of my favorite things is just a collaboration with other educators other professional counselors in doing the same job, the parents, really just the collaboration. You learn

[00:33:11] so much from other people that you work with and you learn so much from the students and from the parents you work with. So I think that's been my favorite thing. For me, I'm at Monacan High School and Monacan prides itself in its sense of community and that has been so real for me. I feel so grateful and blessed by my team and my admin team and our teachers. So I would say that's been one of my favorite parts of the job, but definitely the students. That's why we do what we do.

[00:33:43] Thank you. I want to start off on a note of gratitude. Thank you, Mr. Waller. Thank you, Audra. Thank you, Ms. Williford. Thank you, Mom, for sure. Just one of my most favorite parts about working at Fallon Creek Middle School is just the ability to push the culture forward. One of the most empowering parts of my job is being able to help students resolve conflict. We know that restorative conversations, restorative chats really work, and being able to help students in some of the most challenging moments

[00:34:23] really brings light to my day every time I get the opportunity to do it. So I always say restorative conversations, the proactive piece of making sure that conflict is resolved and challenges are resolved amongst students is always my favorite part of, always the favorite part of, my favorite part of working at Fallon Creek Middle. Let's give these amazing counselors another hand.

[00:35:06] Next up, I'm going to ask our friends at VCU to come forward this time. Each year, the Employer Accommodation Program of the Virginia School Warriors Association provides school board members an opportunity to thank their employers for providing the support and encouragement that

[00:35:45] is often needed to perform school board duties. Their connection is an integral part of public education, which is a corner center of our community. Tonight, we recognize Virginia Commonwealth University supporting interim school member Dr. Jenna Darby, who represents the Clover Hill District. Here to accept the recognition is Dr. Thomas Farmer, chair of the VCU Department of Foundations of Education. As a recent graduate from the School of Education and also as an employee as an adjunct faculty for the last five years vcu is near and dear to my heart and i am so thankful for the partnership that i have seen as vcu produces incredible

[00:36:23] teachers and i have found such great joy in being a part of that program over the last five years and so i am so thankful that you through many many email have made it possible for me to serve in this capacity to be able to serve my community and my schools here and continue working with VCU and so Dr. Feldman thank you also for being here we are joined by the dean of the school of education as well and so I'm just thankful for your willingness to serve through allowing me the flexibility to do this role as well so I'll turn it to you guys if you have anything to share about

[00:37:01] this partnership. Thanks Jenna. I just want to say first that Jenna's a true Jim and we really having her as part of our team is just critical for us that I think all of you know that having people who are out there and understand what's happening day to day as part of the instruction team is really important for us. So Jenna we really appreciate what you do but I also want to say thank you to all of you all for the work that you do and for being a partnership with VCU that we

[00:37:34] really do feel like we're doing our work there so you can do your work here. Yeah, thank you, Tom. Good evening, everyone. I'm Kelly Feldman, Dean of the School of Education at VCU, and I just want to say that we are really proud to call Dr. Jenna Darby a graduate of our programs, and we're also honored to be able to support her in this service and in her contributions to the Chesterfield County Public School Board, and so thank you for what you do. And then I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for that work. It's really an important act of service

[00:38:12] to provide for the community and support families and students, staff, teachers, administrators leaders in all of the schools. And so thank you, Dr. Darby, and thank all of you. If I could ask our friends from the Virginia Credit Union to come forward at this time.

[00:38:58] Public education is the foundation of American democracy and the work of Cheshire County Public Schools teachers and staff members strengthens our community. But our school division does not operate in isolation as we help our students find paths to success. Our schools are robustly supported by community organizations, businesses, and individuals who work in partnership with our Schools. Tonight, we recognize Virginia Credit Union as a valued partner of Chester County Public Schools. VACU provides significant financial support for division-wide programs while advancing financial literacy and financial wellness across our community. Please join thanking the Virginia

[00:39:37] Credit Union. Who would like the honor of holding that up? So before we get started and just recognizing your partnership with us, if we come and visit, do you give out free samples? Shredded, Okay, well, I don't know about that, but in all seriousness, we cannot be as good as we are as a school system if we don't have great partners in our community, whether it's a

[00:40:13] bank, whether it's a water bottling company, it doesn't matter who it is. Every partnership that we have helps our students excel forward and helps them recognize the different avenues that they can take in life, because sometimes those things aren't always discussed, right? Working at a bank or working in a warehouse or working somewhere else. But being able to partner with folks like you is a great attribute, if you will, for our students. And we greatly appreciate your time and dedication to Chester County Public Schools. So with that being

[00:40:50] said, I'd like to give you an opportunity to tell us a little bit about why it is that you'd like to partner with us well thank you thank you for this honor we really appreciate the partnership with chesterfield county public schools and we focus at virginia credit union and helping our members in the community with their finances chesterfield has been a great partner in allowing us to partner with the teachers coming in talking about career pathways partnering with the econ and personal

[00:41:24] finance teachers in that track and then just general support of just showing up where we are needed. So we're very happy to be part of this wonderful school system and community. We do have some swag for you on your way out. So again, thank you very much. Can we give them one more

[00:41:43] round of applause? For our next recognition, I'd like to invite CTE representatives to join me in front of the dais. Madam Clark, would you please read the resolution recognizing the importance of Career and Technical Education. Recognizing February 2026 as Career and Technical Education

[00:42:17] Month, whereas the Association for Career and Technical Education has designated February 2026 as Career and Technical Education Month, and whereas Cheshire County Public Schools has offered CTE courses for over a century, and whereas CTE offers pathways for students to prepare for careers and high skill and high demand careers. And whereas Chesterfield County Public Schools offer students the opportunity to explore careers in all 14 career clusters through 214

[00:42:50] unique courses and aligned to 69 career pathways. And whereas during the 2024-25 school year, Chesterville County Public Schools, CTE students earned 9,368 career credentials, and whereas the Technology and Engineering Education Program at Matulka High School and Agriculture Advisory Committee at CTC Courthouse were recognized with a Creating Excellence Award for Region 1 by the Virginia Department of Education 2025, whereas the CTE Work-Based Learning Program supported

[00:43:27] 31,585 students with a variety of work-based learning experiences in the community during the 2024-25 school year, and whereas the landscape and turf management program at Thomasdale High School was recognized with the National Field of the Year by the Sports Field Managers Association, and whereas CTE is an integral part of the school division's curriculum.

[00:43:56] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Chesterfield County School Board recognizes February 2026 as Career and Technical Education Month, acknowledges the importance of CTE, and thanks the hardworking CTE teachers and administrators of Chesterfield County for their work in ensuring that the school division CTE programs remain best in class.

[00:44:18] Thank you, Madam Clerk. Board members, may I have a motion to adopt the resolution as presented? So moved. Is there a second? Second.

[00:44:34] board members, is there any discussion? I just would like to say thank you again for the hard work that this resolution represents. 9,368 career credentials is an incredible number to celebrate, and that is just one of the many things listed here. I am so thankful for the work you do to expose our students from the youngest to the oldest within our school division to the opportunities that they have in front of them and the many choices available to them. It takes an

[00:45:09] incredible team, and so I appreciate you all being here tonight to represent all the work that goes into speaking with our students every single day and all the opportunities you provide for them.

[00:45:29] There's been a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, please call roll on the motion. Ann Coker. Aye. Jennifer Darby. Aye. Dominique Chatters. Aye. Stephen Pronto. Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. The resolution has been adopted. Congratulations.

[00:45:49] Would any of you like to say anything about what career and technical education is so special for you? On behalf of all the teachers that teach career and technical education for Chesterfield County Public Schools, it is our honor to be recognized today at this board meeting for our CTE month.

[00:46:12] What we do in all of our programs and content area is not necessarily for ourselves, but it's for the empowerment of today's youth for tomorrow's career choices. And my colleagues and I that are standing before you represent all of the teachers in Chesterfield County Public Schools who have lent all of their hard work and their career experiences in their own respective fields to the students who are now empowered to be the best version of themselves in their career paths.

[00:46:43] Thank you.

[00:47:03] Memo number 014-26, Recognition of Outstanding Driver Performance. Ms. Jacqueline Roach will present you.

[00:47:26] Good evening, Madam Chair and school board members. There are many bus drivers who could be recognized this past month, but each transportation area manager had to make the tough decision of selecting a single bus driver who exemplified excellence and dedication to represent their area.

[00:47:46] It is my pleasure to present our January 2026 Drivers of the Month that are being recognized for outstanding driver performance. Area 1, Cameron Rayford, bus 685, two months of service. The Area 1 team believes Cameron transitioned into the role of bus driver seamlessly.

[00:48:07] He has consistently been willing to step in when needed and has also assisted with field trips for Area 1. Cameron is a strong asset to the transportation team. Area 2, Hassam Nassar, bus 271, 11 months of service.

[00:48:23] Hassam says that he loves the students and gets lots of enjoyment in getting them to and from school safely. Hassam's manager says he is extremely dedicated to his job, has the most amazing positive attitude, and is always willing to help regardless of the task.

[00:48:39] Area 3, Angel Simmons, bus 718, one year, nine months of service. Standing in for Angel is the Area 1 assistant manager, Michelle Dowdy. Angel says she enjoys being a bus driver because she likes interacting with the kids and seeing their smiling faces day after day.

[00:48:59] Area 4, Erin Bridges, bus 971, four years of service. Standing in for Erin is her assistant manager, Alexis Jaguer. Erin says she enjoys being a bus driver because she finds joy in connecting with the kids. She states their smiles and genuine laughter always brightens her day.

[00:49:18] Also, there's a sense of contributing to the community by being a daily positive role model for the children. Area 5, Diana King, bus 819, 15 years and two months of service. Diana says, simply put, she loves her job as a bus driver for CCPS. The bus ride is more than transportation.

[00:49:40] It represents consistency, trust, and care. She takes that to heart and strives to make the most positive difference in the lives of the students and their families so let's give them a round of applause so i say this every time i get to give a recognition to the bus drivers i appreciate you keeping what our children say about us and what goes on to yourselves i really appreciate that between you guys and the counselors it's a vault i appreciate that um and second to the teachers i get told my bus driver said that this is how it's supposed to go so i want y'all to feel respected

[00:50:19] and appreciated that your name gets brought into my home on telling me how it's supposed to be done. So, mom, my bus driver doesn't drive like that. Why are you driving like that? Okay, you know what? So I appreciate the fact that you guys are the models that my children are modeling my driving behavior after. I don't know what that says. But I am grateful that all of you are in this profession. I know you're the first person they see and the last person they see. So whatever energy levels they come on the bus with and whatever energy levels they leave with, it's thanks to you. So I appreciate your patience and the love that you're pouring into your

[00:50:55] job. I do have to pass the mic, but you can give it right back if you want to. And just tell me, you know, the best part about being a bus driver. Oh, I love that. Where's her music? Well, I mean, everybody says the kids. I like my summers off. I like my middays off. I like driving i like driving a big vehicle um i drove a big bus for like 14 years i just came to sped and i can honestly say i love my sped kids all the kids you know i'm just kidding

[00:51:31] but i love my sped kids well i i do want to share just one thing um appreciation for all of our bus drivers this past week out on the roads um but february is also love the bus month so in transportation we are celebrating our drivers and hopefully they see the appreciation that we have for them. Yeah, I see. It's fine.

[00:51:59] Hey, guys. I just want to say thank you so much for everything. I'm so happy. I'm so glad I'm here because school was over the month. This makes me glad, and I'm so proud of myself, and I want to say thank you so much for the people I work with in the office.

[00:52:17] They are really amazing people that are always willing to help all the time. Thank you so much. I wasn't really expecting this this early on, so I do thank you. I do love seeing the kids every day. I haven't missed a day since I started. I don't plan on it, and I sign up for every field

[00:52:38] trip I can. I love what I do, and yeah, I hope to see you all again. Thank you. Next, we have recognition of outstanding food service employees with Mr. Berkeley Dunbrock. Good evening, Madam

[00:53:17] Chair, Board Members, Mr. Roberts, Dr. Murray. Thank you, as always, for the opportunity to recognize some of our outstanding food and nutrition services team members. One of my favorite things to do in visiting cafeterias is to get feedback on our offerings from the students. This can sometimes turn into a don't ask questions or not ready for the answer to situation.

[00:53:36] However, for the most part, students are very informative and insightful about what we are serving and what they'd like to see us serve. While this is crucial information to the continued development of our program, I take almost as much joy in hearing the names the students have assigned to some of our menu items. Some of my favorites include the various names I've heard given for our pizza dippers, including pizza bread, pizza sticks, pizza things, and those things that look like cheesy bread from Pizza Hut.

[00:54:02] Pickled chicken, which is the moniker my niece and her third grade classmates assigned to one of their favorite menu offerings, which I was able to decipher were our breaded dill turkey bites, and the recent renaming of our cheeseburger to the Please Burger by one of our Bonaire Elementary School students. We are very fortunate in CCPS not only to have this type of student feedback, but an outstanding food nutrition services team that is able to bring these comments to life every single day.

[00:54:28] So because I was unable to join in December, I'm going to try to catch up with our December and our February honorees this evening. However, two were unable to join us this evening. First was Ashley Anderson. Ms. Anderson is our cafeteria manager at Meadowbrook High School, and she's been with us for 10 years. Her nomination included the following.

[00:54:45] Ashley is someone that makes you feel welcome to come ask questions and makes all of her staff feel appreciated. She's not one to watch anyone struggle. She'll be there to roll up her sleeves and jump in to lend a hand anytime. Ashley says, I'm proud to serve our school community. What I love most is being here for our students and working with a team that feels like family.

[00:55:03] Knowing that our work helps students feel cared for and nourished is what makes the job so meaningful to me. Also unable to join us this evening was Terry Bennett. Miss Bennett is our cafeteria manager at Matoica High School, and she's been with us for six years. Her nomination included the following. Terry is a great leader. She's patient, kind, caring, and always goes out of her way to make sure everyone is taken care of. She says, I've always worked in the food service industry, serving or cooking for the public. I know there are children out there who do not get enough food or even get a decent meal on some days, and it's very sad. My hope is that if I can make a difference for just one child not being hungry, my heart will be full. Next, we have Amal

[00:55:39] Salam. Ms. Salam is a food service associate at Winter Park Elementary School, and she's been with us for four years. Her nomination included the following. Amal always takes an extra moment to help the students and talk with them. During national school lunch week, she talked to the students about the various flags that we had displayed, where that country was located. The students really enjoyed the game of trying to guess the flags. Amal says, I truly enjoy my job, especially because I get to work in an elementary school where I can share my passion for food and nutrition with young students. It's incredibly rewarding to help them develop healthy eating habits from an early age and see their curiosity and excitement grow. And finally, we have Pamela

[00:56:19] Osmar. Ms. Osmar is a food service associate at J.G. Henning Elementary School, and she's been with us for 43 years. Her nomination included the following. Pamela is a hardworking person. She works well on a team and she never refuses to do anything she's asked to do. She uses any available time to clean or help with whatever is needed to be done for the day or the following day.

[00:56:42] Ms. Osmar says, I've been working here for almost 44 years and at the same time making good friends. Every year I say, this is the last year, but I continue to sign the contract for the next year because I love what I do thank you all thank you for all that you do for your schools and providing healthy lunches for our students lunch is one of the things that I hear about when my 15 year old still comes home from school and he likes to tell me what he had for lunch so you

[00:57:18] are feeding and keeping their bellies full which is important because they if you are hungry you are not going to learn so thank you so much for all that you do you are definitely appreciated and respected in your your profession if you would like to say a few words thank you for your 40 almost 44 years yeah I'll pass them would either one of you like to say again I'm not done yet I love my kids I love my job so I'm sticking around for a while and you gotta put up with me

[00:57:58] thank you so much and i so appreciate this thing yeah and i enjoy my work really enjoy like to feed the kids and keep everything clean and be sure like we give them like good stuff yeah

[00:58:18] the public service of more than 800 school members across virginia celebrated throughout february as a part of virginia school board association's annual school board appreciation month. Cheshire County Public Schools joins school divisions across Virginia in thanking

[00:58:57] our school board members who contribute hundreds of hours, maybe thousands of hours, each year leading our school division. We recognize and celebrate the contributions of these Cheshire County leaders. Chair Lisa Hutchins of the Midlothian District, Vice Chair Stephen Paranto, Motoka District, Ann Coker, Bermuda District, Dr. Jenna Darby, Clover Hill District Interim, Dominique Chatters, Dale District. In addition, the Virginia School Board Association designates the third week in February as VSBA School Board Clerk Appreciation Week with the goal of building awareness of the role the school board plays in helping school members, superintendents, and

[00:59:34] schools. We recognize and celebrate the service of Cheshire County Public Schools Executive Assistant and Clerk of the School Board, Elke Namola. Dr. Murray? I think Steve's going to give her flowers here in a second. To kick off, I want to give you all your flowers. So I want to thank you for always keeping our students at the heart of your leadership. Being a school board member is an act of service that takes more time and effort and involvement than anyone might imagine

[01:00:11] until you are actually on the board. It is truly a second full-time job. I also want to thank your respective families for the sacrifice of their time away from you as each of you attend countless meetings and events each and every month. I appreciate and I know our community does as well all that you do to support our students, our employees, our families, and our schools because

[01:00:45] your work is vital to the continuing success of this wonderful school division and to the greater Chesterfield County community. So thank you for your service and I know I gave you a gift already but I have an additional one as well.

[01:01:00] So if I may, I'm going to approach and give that to you now. Thanks, Susan.

[01:01:09] These are for you.

[01:02:17] Yeah, you've got to come up here. Absolutely, you do. In retrospect, we should have done this in the beginning so that the folks that were here could hear just how great you are. You have held our schedules together.

[01:02:35] You have kept us in line. reminders and texts and phone calls and helping us out just behind the scenes with things at first that we didn't even know we needed. But you were there. You were very comforting and reassuring and helpful. So when it comes to school board clerks, people might think it's an administrative role. And it is. And it is. But it is a people person role. And you define that so very well.

[01:03:10] And I greatly appreciate everything that you do for our school board. So before I hand it over to you, I'm going to pull a little fast one, if that's okay. Board members, is there anything you'd like to share about Elkie? Oh, yeah, we can do that. Oh, my goodness.

[01:03:26] So many wonderful things I could say about Elkie. I've had the pleasure of working with you for seven years. This is my seventh year. And I just thank you for everything that you do. You are always on top of it. You send little very friendly reminders when we haven't responded to an event or whatever it may be.

[01:03:49] And you're just a good friend. You're a good friend and a good person. So thank you, Elkie, for all that you do. So, Elkie, whenever I describe you, I say that you are this perfect mix of, it's very unusual, you're a unicorn, incredibly on the ball with, don't tell your husband that.

[01:04:11] you're on the ball with um being uh you know oh i'm just gonna pop this to the top your top of your email box okay okay um you've got us our calendars under control you one time told me i had a dentist appointment and you know so you've got this over here you're on the ball you also are a lovely human being and so whenever um you i feel like oh i've um this is too much for me to ask you're like no no no it is my pleasure that combination is rare and we are so grateful

[01:04:47] for you i could go on but now's not the time i love you i'm grateful for you and you are wonderful to work with when i first took on this role i heard it described as drinking from a fire hydrant and i appreciate that you have made that not feel that way and you have taken it um in stride with me and helped me catch up to speed in grace and with such a friendly way of handling it all and I just am so grateful for you. Well I will say the combination of what our chair said being a special person is like the top of the list of all the things that you are but the fact that you can

[01:05:27] manage the chaos that is five calendars and then with me like she reminds me of my children's events right because it's it's on my calendar she's like you know you can't do it at that time Dominique because you have you have the track meet I'm like oh yes well thank you for for doing that and so I appreciate you looking out for me and my family um making so considerate of our time like you are so protective of all of us I feel like to make sure that we're not overloaded and we appreciate you beyond measure um even when you were going through your own personal things you still made time to take care of us when we were trying to take care of you so I am grateful for

[01:06:06] your heart and for the work that you've poured into all of us. Thank you. Okay, on behalf of the Chester County School Board of the VSBA, it is my honor to present to you the 2026 VSBA School Board Clerk Appreciation Week presented to Elkie Namola. Now as customary, we're going to put you on the spot like we do everybody else. Is there anything you'd like to share? I want to thank the school board for this recognition and for your support, especially over the last couple of months,

[01:06:42] hardest time of my life um but always have y'all thanks um and with reminders and i've never felt so appreciated by a board before and so just thank you for your confidence in me and your continued support and y'all truly um have the dedication at heart yourselves and the best interest of students staff and the community so it's a pleasure and an honor to serve each and every one of you so thank

[01:07:09] you thank you and congratulations to all of tonight's honorees next we have you can walk i'll talk slowly next we have public comment for this meeting citizens were given the option of

[01:07:43] 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 site and will will be included in full as an addendum to the meeting minutes. 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 part of the official board minutes. Madam Clerk, would you please announce this evening's in-person

[01:08:20] speakers. Madam Chair, we have five speakers this evening. They are Michael Mata, Joe Maltempe, Rob Hamill, Jacob Neal Hilt, and Wendy Little. Each speaker will have four minutes to address the board. There's a timer set up on top of the podium that will turn green 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.

[01:08:47] 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 are in violation of school board policy 1110 and are prohibited. May we have Michael Mata, Joe Maltempe.

[01:09:11] Hello, board. Nice to talk with you all again. My name is Joe Maltempe. I'm from the Dale District. I'm still a graduate in 2005 and got some different things tonight than you might have been expecting.

[01:09:31] but I think it would be a great change for our county. So the last time I was here and spoke, you praised a kid who was concerned and spoke really eloquently about his safety in his school. And there was also parents that were here to beg to put metal detectors in at their kids' schools.

[01:09:51] And over the other times I've been here, there's been people really concerned about bomb threats going on at schools and things like that. All those requests are reactionary to things that are happening at schools in response to events because kids are not trained correctly at home and at school and at church.

[01:10:08] I work in construction, and in construction, one of the priorities is safe work. In safety, they're both leading and lagging indicators, and leading indicators include training people how to work the right way and use the tools and operate the equipment before they are asked to do the work.

[01:10:29] An example of this would be, in school, would be teaching kids not to lie or cheat or to murder. That would be a prominent thing that would help with that. Lagging indicators are responses to incorrect actions like near misses, like almost accidents, incidents that are actually like first aid cases, things like that, and other accidents where actual work injuries that are very serious.

[01:10:54] In schools, responses to bad actions like our metal detectors to keep guns and knives out of school, resource officers to provide a quick response when needed, or cameras in the classrooms because kids are becoming unruly sometimes in the classrooms.

[01:11:11] And there'll be no end in sight if these solutions, they'll just continue to have more and more solutions for more and more problems, and they'll become more and more lavish unless we start correcting with the right training. There needs to be a fundamental worldview shift in our public schools, a shift that needs to be made where it views all policies and actions as religious.

[01:11:32] But which religion is the question, atheists, LGBTQ, Islamists, or Christian? From the beginning of our country, almost 250 years now, we were founded as a Christian nation. Samuel Chase, one of the lesser-known declaration signers, a U.S. Supreme Court justice, gave the following opinion in Runkle v. Weinmiller in 1799.

[01:11:54] Religion is of public and general concern, and on its support depend in great measure the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people. By our form of government, the Christian religion is established, and all sects and dominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty.

[01:12:16] Over the last 50 years or so, the morals of Christianity were slowly removed from public, including public schools. As that happened, violence, crime, misbehavior, and other social disorders rose. Atheism got prayer, the Bible, and the Ten Commandments removed from public schools. Let's pull the thread of the Eighth Commandment in the Bible, if you're looking through Christianity.

[01:12:35] So that Eighth Commandment is, thou shalt not bear false witness or lie. In the early 2000s, Islamic thought began to come in at the time of the World Trade Center bombings. The Quran states that Muslims can lie to infidels, that would be all of us that are not Muslims, if it will further the spread of Islam.

[01:12:55] The doctrine specifically is called taqiyya in Islam is eerily similar to other social contagion in the U.S. Further pulling that thread, the LGBTQ tell untruths that marriage isn't just between a man and a woman and that men can become women and women can become men.

[01:13:10] More lies and false witness. The LGBTQ teachers and school officials I previously mentioned have become the LGBTQ priest and lied to their own children and students about sexual orientation and gender. Thank you, Mr. Maltemey. Thank you. May we have Rob Hamill?

[01:13:31] Hello, school board members, colleagues, and friends. My name is Rob Hamill, and I am the president of the Chesterfield Education Association.

[01:13:52] It's been an eventful month in Chesterfield. I know we're all happy that our schools and our offices are open and running again. And personally, I'm very happy that the temperature rose above freezing today because I was finally able to bathe my dog. The dog wasn't too happy about it, but we'll all be able to enjoy her company a lot more.

[01:14:11] CEA has been busy since we last spoke. Our incentive program for board members and building reps has officially started. The executive board is filling up, and our reps are connecting with members and supporting them. I spent three weeks in January visiting schools across the district and talking with folks.

[01:14:28] We heard that a lot of our staff are excited about the prospect of collective bargaining. We talked to not only teachers, but nutrition staff, front office, administrators, day porters, and bus drivers. And we want to hear from even more of our staff. We are planning a series of listening sessions with teachers, support staff, central office workers, and administrators, and we invite all staff members to get in touch with us and make their voices heard.

[01:14:51] Our last CPR class, scheduled for January 29th, got postponed. We will try again next week on February 12th. Spots are still open. Many of our members have expressed satisfaction with the compensation package and the proposed budget. Moving our starting salary towards $60,000 a year is a great goal, and that would make us much more competitive with our surrounding districts.

[01:15:12] Thanks to all of you involved in that process for recognizing the important contributions of our educators. Our support staff deserves that competitive raise just as much as the teachers, and our buildings don't open without the front office, nutrition, transportation, and custodial staff.

[01:15:28] We hope that we are offering packages to help us retain the best staff in those positions. I've been working with our government relations team at the Virginia Education Association to lobby the Virginia General Assembly to increase our funding. I testified before the assembly on January 7th about the need for continued and expanded incentives to staff our positions in high-need areas, and I will be speaking with lawmakers about this topic again on February 16th.

[01:15:52] If any of you would like to discuss legislation before the assembly and how we might work together to get it passed, please get in touch. Finally, several of our members have reached out to us with concerns about immigration activity in Chesterfield.

[01:16:09] Every time I've spoken to our board members and our administration on this issue, you You have all responded with empathy for our community and clearly delineated policy. You've told me all the right things and assured me that CCPS will always protect our students. However, many of our staff are not receiving that message.

[01:16:25] We hear many questions along the lines of, what if this happens? What if that happens? What if something happens at the bus stop or in the parking lot? In a crisis, it can be difficult to know how to respond. So we'd like to suggest that CCPS make some quick reference materials available to the staff.

[01:16:42] Maybe printable files or note cards, something with a flowchart or an outline that clearly explains which CCPS policies to follow if one is dealing with immigration or law enforcement. I think in this situation that a little extra bit of preparation would go a long way towards assuaging the fears of our staff and community.

[01:16:59] Adopting NEA's Safe Schools Resolution or the seven-point recommendations from the National Hispanic Caucus would be another way to publicly demonstrate the supports that we're using in our schools. Thank you again for this opportunity to speak about our amazing Chesterfield County Schools.

[01:17:15] Thank you, Mr. Hamill. May we have Jacob Neal-Helt. Hello, my name is Jacob Neal-Helt.

[01:17:43] My pronouns are they, them. This is my son, Rosario. He's a kindergartner at Harrogate Elementary. He wanted to start off today, so I'm going to lift him up to the mic real quick. Hi, hi, hi.

[01:18:01] Okay. So I am a member of the Matoka district. As I said, my son goes to Harrogate Elementary.

[01:18:18] I'm also an educator in Richmond Public Schools, and I'm using that experience as I speak today as a member of the Matoka community. I am here with my family to ask that Chesterfield adopt the NEA's Safe Schools Resolutions.

[01:18:35] In passing this resolution, you will be proving that Chesterfield County Schools cares about all of our students and families. Additionally, I hope that this school board prioritizes educating our community members and staff members of our rights and helping us further ensure our students, staff, and families are safe.

[01:18:57] I think, just to reiterate what Mr. Hamill said, because it's also happening in Richmond, One of the priorities as a staff member is understanding what protocol is. And I think it's important that we make sure that we have, in Chesterfield, a process in place to educate our staff members and our families about what the process is.

[01:19:24] But also be prepared to prepare our staff and families for circumstances that are not necessarily easily expectable. I know one of the things that we face is fears of going on field trips with our immigrant students and the fears of as staff members, although leadership is trained, not all staff is trained, and that's not always considered of when leadership is not available.

[01:20:02] So I think it's important that you pass the NEA resolution, if or similar, to show your support for immigrant students, but also to make sure that we are all educated in how we can support each other and what our rights are and how the school district plans on things that you can't really plan on.

[01:20:26] So thank you very much. Say thank you. Say thank you. Thank you. Bye. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Neal Hilt. May we have Wendy Little, Madam Chair, that concludes this evening's public comment.

[01:20:53] Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next, we have this evening's superintendent's report from Dr. Murray. Thank you, Madam Chair. For tonight's meaningful moments, I want to share with you a great highlight. At Chalkley Elementary, students who are positive role models get celebrated by their fellow students, teachers, and community with an inspiring parade for the example they set for their school.

[01:21:18] this is a good one to watch. Enjoy. Today is Monday of our racer week every quarter. We have racer week, which we highlight character traits that we're trying to instill in our kids. We are road runners, but road runners is a long word. So we use racer for our PBIS, respectful, accountable, caring, engaged, and responsible. And today we celebrate our students who embody those

[01:21:55] characteristics on a daily basis. Our teachers each select one student from their class and we celebrate them by having parade our kids come out in the hallway we plot for them and we we like to highlight those kids who are always doing the right thing and showing those those chocolate standards and we end in the cafeteria where we've invited parents to come and celebrate with us and we can thank them as well so as a school of course our focus is instruction and student learning we want our kids to be readers we want our kids to have critical thinking skills and

[01:22:31] that's really important what we do but we also really take to heart our responsibility to teach our kids how to be good people and to be contributing citizens in the world. And so we wanted to highlight our students who show those standards on a regular basis and hold them up as role models for all of our students.

[01:22:49] Our Race for Award winners are invited to participate in the parade. They walk through the entire school, so everybody's cheering for them, clapping for them. And then they end in the cafeteria, as I said before, and their parents are there to celebrate with them. They come up, they're called up, and they receive a certificate.

[01:23:05] They receive a racer award keychain that they can put on their backpack. We're also giving out made-for-the-marathon bracelets. And they get to have a little reception with their parents where we have pastries and, you know, just a little treat and a little time with their parents to kind of celebrate before they go back to class.

[01:23:25] The way they cheer for their class representative is really special, and they encourage each other. We've seen a lot of that since we've started this, and that's been really positive. And so, you know, we hear comments and teachers share comments, you know, maybe it could be me next time or maybe it could be you next time and that kind of thing.

[01:23:47] Last year was our first year doing it. And so the keychains were new last year. And so we're starting to see more and more kids wear them on their backpack and wear them regularly. Just getting to be part of the process. We see kids just light up and especially when they get to the cafeteria and they realize their parents are there.

[01:24:03] That's a really special time for them, too. So we see a lot of joy, we see pride, and that's something else, that confidence. We want to build that confidence in our kids, and this, I think, really contributes to that as well. Thank you, Dr. Murray.

[01:24:35] Board members, is there any discussion? All right, next we have action items. Dr. Wadika. Good evening.

[01:24:52] I am so thrilled to be before you this evening with a recommendation for a contract award for a project that will be tremendously impactful for us and for our students. So on December 15th, 2026, an invitation to bid for the classroom renovation project at CTC Hall was issued.

[01:25:11] The project includes the renovation of the second floor classrooms to increase the number of career and technical education seats available at the classroom, at the campus. We also include supporting components that will allow the school to serve a larger student population. And we have a substantial completion date of June 30th, 2026.

[01:25:29] Four bids were received for this project by Chesterfield County Procurement on January 23rd, 2026 at 2 o'clock. They were read by Chesterfield County Procurement Senior Sourcing Officer Josh Morgan. Suburban Remodeling Corporation has been determined to be the lowest responsible and responsive bid for the project at a lump sum base bid of $3,567,000.

[01:25:54] I will mention that this is significantly under budget, so it's a very positive thing for us. And an award recommendation letter has been provided by the architect. Happy to take any questions you might have. Thank you, Dr. Wadika.

[01:26:09] Board members, may I have a motion to approve memo number 017-26 as presented? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Board members, is there any discussion? Okay.

[01:26:26] There's been a motion and a second. Madam Clip, please call roll on the motion. Did I miss it? Ann Coker? Aye. Jennifer Darby? Aye. Dominique Chatters? Aye. Stephen Branca. Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. The memo is approved. Next, we have memo number 019-26 from Dr. High.

[01:26:52] Madam Chair, I will not be participating in the vote or in any discussion on this matter because my spouse is an employee of the school division. All right. This evening, I bring before you memo 019-26, changes to the 2025-26 school calendar and impact to the 2026 employee work calendar.

[01:27:17] As you all are well aware, school closures occurred in December 2025, January and February of 2026 due to inclement weather. As a result of the 2025 CCPS school calendars adjustments must be made to restore instructional hours to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements of 990 instructional hours for the school year.

[01:27:41] The adjustments are as follows. February 6th, March 19th, and April 17th, which were all early release days, will become full instructional days. February 16th will no longer be a holiday for students or staff.

[01:27:56] As February 16th, 2026 has now been designated as an instructional day, there are implications to the employee work calendars. Depending on the work calendar, February 16th was either an out-of-calendar day or a paid holiday for employees.

[01:28:14] Per school board policy 5240, 11-month employees earn personal leave, and per school board policy 5220, 12-month employees earn vacation days. In recognition of exempt employees who work on February 16th, It is recommended that one additional vacation or personal day be added to the employee's leave balance effective after February 16.

[01:28:37] For the change to the school calendar, there are no noteworthy budget implications in state funding received if the division meets the 990 instructional hours, which we will. Operational expenditures associated with these calendar adjustments will be partially mitigated by savings realized during the recent school closures.

[01:28:59] But with the change to the staff calendar, non-exempt employees will receive pay-for-hours worked on February 16th, estimated to be less than $0.5 million. The estimated fiscal impact of adding one additional personal or vacation leave day is likely to spread over fiscal years as employees use it.

[01:29:20] This increases the balance sheet liability by about $2.1 million. Adding this day doesn't mean that we write a $2.1 million check today. Instead, it's a long-term commitment because employees can carry leave over time. This sits on our books as a liability until that leave is used.

[01:29:38] The recommendations before you is that the school board approve the inclement weather-related changes to the previously approved 2025-2026 school year calendar. It is also recommended that a one-time waiver to policy 5240 and 5220 be approved, which would add one additional vacation leave day for 12-month employees and one additional personal leave day for 11-month employees, which includes teachers.

[01:30:05] This will be added to the leave balance of employees who are active as of February 16 as soon as it's practicable. Thank you, Dr. High. Board members, may I have a motion to approve memo number 019-26 as presented?

[01:30:23] So moved. Is there a second? Second. Board members, is there any discussion? Mr. Baranto. Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Hyde, thank you for that breakdown and explanation. I do want to comment on when schools were closed.

[01:30:44] Some of the feedback I had received from constituents were praise. They were grateful that the announcement was made well in advance, not the morning of. In addition, they were grateful for the email that was sent out orchestrated by Mr. Smith, which explained what was going to happen next as far as the holidays not being taken off, half days becoming full days, what have you.

[01:31:08] So greatly appreciate the thought in that going out to the community, to our teachers and staff so that they understood what was going to happen next, if anything. So thank you for that. I want to just clarify, and you did state it, but I just want to clarify because I've – in just a conversation, it's not a $2 million check.

[01:31:33] No. It is spread out because folks are going to take that day. It may not be this year. They can roll it over. They can save it, what have you. And so I just want to make sure that that's understood is we're not approving a $2 million check to be cut tomorrow. That's correct.

[01:31:49] It would be over time. And some employees may not take it while they're here. If they were to leave, then it would be paid out at that time. And the savings that you had referenced was really in regards to transportation. We're not spending on fuel. We're not in the building, so it's not being used.

[01:32:08] And there's cost savings in that to counter the nearly $2 million price tag on that. Is that correct? That is correct. Okay. Very good. Thank you. You're welcome. I, too, want to congratulate and thank you, Dr. Murray, Dr. High, your team, for remembering our staff when we have to swap things out like days off.

[01:32:39] It's a big deal, and although we had lots of time off, it still is a day. And so while we didn't have a day to give them, we gave them a day in a very creative way. I think I just want to applaud when it was brought to my attention.

[01:32:57] I thought that is a great idea. I don't think I would ever have thought of it. So well done, you guys. Thank you for that. I just also I didn't know this and I was hopeful, but hourly employees continue to get paid even though even during snow days.

[01:33:18] Right. So maybe sometimes we don't think about that or know that. but that is a thing, and I think that it's important for us, you know, everyone to know that that continues. But thank you all for considering our staff in this manner. So thank you.

[01:33:38] There has been a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, please call roll on the motion. Anne Coker. Aye. Dominique Chatters. Aye. Stephen Pronta. Aye. Lisa Hudgens. Aye. The memo is approved. Next, we have items for board review.

[01:33:55] Madam Clerk, would you please read the items for this evening? Madam Chair, tonight's agenda includes the following items for Board's review. Number one, Magisterial District Improvement Funds, FY 2026. Number two, Budget Change Request Summary and Cross Categories, November 2025.

[01:34:13] Number three, Budget Change Request Summary and Cross Categories, December 2025. Number four, Board Committee Reports. Number five, Pre-K Update, December 2025. And number six, final annual strategic plan progress review.

[01:34:29] And finally, number seven, memo number 018-26, awareness of technical edits to the 2026-27 program of studies. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Next, we have this evening's superintendent's remarks. Dr. Murray. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[01:34:45] Just a few acknowledgments this evening. Foremost, and in recognition of Black History Month, and I appreciate your words to kick off our meeting this evening. I just want to recognize and shout out some of our local leaders, some of our local heroes.

[01:35:04] Frank Carpenter, our chief of police, Dr. Laquan Hilton, representing the Dale District for the Board of Supervisors, and our own Dominique Chatters, representing the Dale District on our school board. So thank you for your leadership.

[01:35:21] I also kind of want to jump in where we just left off with inclement weather. From a place of deep appreciation to a few employee groups, obviously many are worth thanking, but our building operations supervisors and facility teams were the first boots and shovels on the ground attempting as best they could to break the snowcrete, get our sidewalks ready.

[01:35:48] So I want to thank them, and they will be recognized this month as our game changers at the end of the month. Secondly, we would not have been able to put kids back in school if we didn't have a thorough assessment of every nook and cranny of this expansive county.

[01:36:08] And so our bus drivers went out on the road and drove their routes and reported back to us impassable roads or problematic roads, which we were then able to directly share and coordinate with VDOT.

[01:36:25] We had a direct line of communication, something I have never experienced in my many years of weather calls. And they went out and began scrubbing our lists to make sure that our neighborhoods were ready, which was kind of the final phase in getting our kids back into schools.

[01:36:44] And lastly, I want to thank our county government and our parks and rec teams. They partnered with several private contracting services to clear our lots and our loops. There was a point in time where it felt unbreakable what was out there on our pavement.

[01:37:06] And so we had to bring in excavator crews. And I just want the public to realize that while other counties were still buried within their neighborhoods, it was Chesterfield in a triangulated partnership between the schools, the county government, and VDOT that got our roads back into a respectable and safer position for us to send kids and get them back where we need them, which is in our classroom.

[01:37:40] rooms. We opened this evening with our public hearing, so I feel it appropriate to once more thank Bob Meister and Denise Branscombe for doing all the heavy lifting of making math make sense to me. It's easy to say that I want to prioritize this, but they're the ones that then go stress out about it in another room and figure it all out. So to the two of you, thank you very much, And to everybody else who contributed, that's what Bob would want me to say.

[01:38:13] It wasn't just he and Denise. He would want to pay that compliment forward across all of our departments and respective chief domains. I want to thank community members who came out to any of our town halls.

[01:38:32] I feel like they were informative. We had an uptick in some of our attendance this year, and that was very appreciated. in future we'd like to see more engagement in this process is is so very key in understanding the inner workings and the underpinnings of what we are valuing and prioritizing moving forward but we don't want to do that in a vacuum and so we appreciate other voices in that process i also want to re-emphasize my appreciation for our cte staff and our school counselors as they have their

[01:39:08] month and weeks. It was a pleasure to get to recognize them both last week and tonight. And I think that's it for me, but Dr. High had one additional announcement. Thank you, Dr. Mary. I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate school board member Dominique Chatters, who has been selected as a 2026 Trailblazer Honoree by the African-American Women's Museum of Art and History.

[01:39:38] She's being recognized on March 7, 2026. This distinction celebrates her impactful work in education, civic engagement, community advocacy, and her continued commitment to service and service-driven leadership. Congratulations, Ms. Chatters. Well deserved.

[01:39:57] That's all we have, Madam Chair. Thank you, Dr. Murray and Dr. High. Congratulations, Ms. Chatters.

[01:40:16] Next, we have announcements. communications and school board comments school board members are there any announcements or comments the school board will hold a budget work session here in the county public meeting room at 4 p.m wednesday february 18th 2026 if there's no further business we need a motion to adjourn so moved madam clerk would you please call roll on the motion anne cooker aye jennifer darby

[01:40:53] aye. Dominique Chatters, aye. Stephen Pronto, aye. Lisa Hudgens, aye. The motion carries. The February 10th, 2026 School Board Business Meeting is adjourned.

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