[2:06] Good afternoon.
[2:07] The special meeting of
the Fredericksburg City School
[2:10] Board for August third twenty
twenty six is now called to order.
[2:13] The time is five o'clock PM.
May I have a roll call, please?
[2:17] Miss Kay? Miss Langdon? Present.
[2:21] Doctor Wolfenbarger? Present.
Miss McFadden? Present.
[2:23] Miss Pomeroy? Present. You
have a quorum, madam chair.
[2:26] Thank you.
[2:27] Are there any changes
or additions to the agenda?
[2:32] There being none,
[2:33] may I have a motion to approve
the agenda as presented?
[2:39] I move to approve the
agenda as presented. Second.
[2:43] Motion by Ms.
[2:45] Langdon to approve the agenda
as presented and seconded by
[2:49] Ms. McFadden. Any discussion?
[2:52] All those in favor say aye. Aye.
[2:55] Motion carries unanimously.
[2:59] At this time, I will announce the
following individuals who have submitted
[3:03] their application for the
member at large vacant school
[3:07] board seat in accordance with the
guidelines of the vacancy notice.
[3:11] Applicants will be given three
minutes to speak in the order
[3:14] that their application
was received.
[3:16] The clerk will call their names.
[3:21] Doctor Stanley Jones.
[3:28] Good evening.
[3:31] Chair Pomeroy and members
of the school board,
[3:33] thank you for the opportunity
to speak this evening.
[3:37] My name is Stan Jones,
[3:38] I'm seeking appointment to the
vacant at large seat on the
[3:41] Fredericksburg School Board.
[3:44] The reason I'm seeking
this appointment is simple,
[3:46] to serve children and
families of Fredericksburg.
[3:50] For thirty nine years,
[3:51] I've dedicated my professional
life to public education in the
[3:54] Commonwealth of Virginia,
[3:55] serving in a variety of
leadership and instructional
[3:58] roles in schools and
school divisions across the state.
[4:02] Following my career
in public education,
[4:03] I currently serve as the CEO
of Action and Community through
[4:08] service known as ACTS,
[4:09] a nonprofit organization
dedicated to serving
[4:11] individuals and families
throughout the region who are
[4:14] facing crisis.
[4:16] Throughout my career, one
belief has never changed.
[4:19] Every child deserves the
opportunity to learn, grow,
[4:23] and reach their full potential,
[4:24] regardless of their
circumstances.
[4:27] I am not seeking this position
for recognition or personal gain.
[4:31] I'm seeking it because I
believe my experience can be of
[4:34] service to this community
at an important time for
[4:37] Fredericksburg City Schools.
[4:39] I understand the proper role
of a school board member.
[4:42] The board's responsibility
is to establish a vision,
[4:45] ensure accountability,
exercise sound fiscal
[4:49] stewardship, and support
the superintendent,
[4:51] while keeping students at
the center of every decision.
[4:56] Appointed, I will bring
a collaborative spirit,
[4:59] a commitment to transparency,
and a focus on student success.
[5:04] I will listen carefully,
[5:06] work respectfully with
my fellow board members,
[5:08] and make decisions based on
what is best for students,
[5:11] families, educators,
and taxpayers.
[5:14] As a resident of Fredericksburg,
[5:15] I care deeply about the future
of our schools and our community.
[5:19] I want every student who
walks through the doors of
[5:21] Fredericksburg City
Schools to graduate,
[5:24] prepare for success in
college, their career,
[5:27] military service, or
whatever path they choose.
[5:31] Thank you for your
consideration and your service
[5:33] to our schools and community.
[5:35] It would be an honor to serve
alongside you in support of
[5:38] Fredericksburg's
children and families.
[5:41] If appointed, I will bring nearly
four decades of educational
[5:44] leadership, a spirit
of collaboration,
[5:46] and an unwavering commitment
to doing what is best for the
[5:49] children and families
of Fredericksburg.
[5:51] Thank you very much.
[5:52] Thank you.
[6:00] Mister Anthony Watkins.
[6:11] Good afternoon,
ladies and gentlemen.
[6:13] As you just heard, my
name is Anthony Watkins.
[6:16] I'm a native of
Atlanta, Georgia,
[6:20] born and raised there.
[6:22] Attended public school there,
graduating in nineteen eighty two.
[6:27] I'm a retired marine.
[6:29] I'm a long term resident,
[6:32] long time resident of
the Fredericksburg area.
[6:36] Initially, it's Pasolena
County and most recently,
[6:39] for the past seven
years approximately,
[6:41] the city of Fredericksburg where
my wife and I wanted to be.
[6:45] My wife is an educator
in Fredericksburg
[6:49] City Schools, fourth
grade teacher,
[6:52] and I have a lot of experience
supporting her in her
[6:55] day to day duties as I
have the opportunity to.
[7:00] Over the course of my Marine
Corps career, we, at sometimes,
[7:04] sent our children to the
public schools or base schools,
[7:09] and other times we
homeschooled them based on
[7:13] what was available locally and
what was best for our children.
[7:17] As I thought about what I could
possibly say in only three
[7:21] minutes to sway anyone
in this room to put their
[7:25] support behind me,
[7:26] I quickly came to the
conclusion that there's
[7:29] probably not a lot that I
or anyone could say in three
[7:31] minutes that will garner
that kind of support.
[7:34] So instead of going
down that trail,
[7:37] I decided to just focus
on one thing that is
[7:42] in my, if I may call it that,
[7:45] educational
leadership philosophy.
[7:48] And this, of
course, goes without
[7:51] the things that
are just absolutely
[7:55] non negotiable, such
as empathy for everyone
[8:00] involved in the enterprise,
whether it's the students,
[8:04] first and foremost, the
teachers, the parents,
[8:07] and the broader community.
[8:08] It's not an easy time to
grow up in this world,
[8:12] nor is it an easy time
to teach in our schools.
[8:16] So when I think about the
myriad of problems that
[8:20] are faced by educators
and the educational
[8:25] system, there's no
shortage of problems.
[8:28] We can talk about inequality,
[8:31] we can talk about
[8:33] mental disorders that are
becoming too prominent among
[8:37] our children, we can talk about
the challenges faced by kids in
[8:41] social media, and of course,
[8:43] the ever growing threat or
opportunity I beg your pardon?
[8:45] How many?
[8:46] Thirty seconds.
[8:46] Thirty seconds of AI.
[8:49] So when I hear about a problem,
[8:53] the first thing that I tend
to do is to think about, well,
[8:57] how have others faced this same
sort of problem in the past?
[9:00] Are there lessons that we can
learn from them and adopt them
[9:03] and adapt them to help
us meet our challenges?
[9:07] So in the interest of time,
[9:09] I think I have four seconds
left in which I will say thank
[9:11] you very much for your time.
[9:13] Thank you.
[9:20] Mister Justin Carter.
[9:26] Hey, good evening. My
name is Justin Carter.
[9:30] I just wanna say the
school system raised me.
[9:32] I graduated from it and in fact
there are people in this room
[9:35] that have either taught me or kind
of like shown me along the way.
[9:39] Tonight, I've got two children
enrolled in the in our school system.
[9:42] One is a rising sixth
grader at Walker Grant,
[9:45] the other is a
rising junior at JM.
[9:47] For years, I've been on the other
end of what our schools produce,
[9:51] hiring and developing young
people in their first jobs.
[9:54] I have a practical read on what
ready looks like academically,
[9:57] professionally, and socially,
not just ready to graduate,
[9:59] but ready for what comes
next in their lives.
[10:01] I'm a director of operations
for a global company currently
[10:04] in the fueling and
transportation industry.
[10:06] I oversee forty one locations across
thirteen states with six direct reports.
[10:11] Most days, that job is about one
thing and that and one thing only.
[10:14] That's accountability.
[10:16] Budgets that close,
audits that get answered,
[10:18] standards that hold
everywhere and everyone,
[10:20] including the locations of mine
that are furthest away accountable.
[10:23] Before that, I spent nearly ten years
as a commissioned officer of the
[10:26] United States Army.
[10:27] When you're leading
America's sons and daughters,
[10:29] you don't skip follow-up
because it's busy.
[10:31] You do it because it matters,
[10:33] and I do what I
say I'm gonna do.
[10:35] I'm not gonna stand here and
tell you that I know more about
[10:37] teaching than the professionals
in this room and in our schools.
[10:39] I don't.
[10:40] What I do bring is a career
spent strengthening credibility
[10:43] and trust with the
people I work with.
[10:45] That's rarely done
with one big decision.
[10:47] It's usually done
in the small stuff.
[10:49] The email that gets
answered timely,
[10:51] the task that gets followed
up and closed on time,
[10:54] and then getting the routine
things done routinely.
[10:58] That is how a community knows
it can count on its board,
[11:00] and that's the work I know how
to do, and I do it very well.
[11:03] What I bring is unglamorous.
[11:05] When this board
commissions work,
[11:06] and that work should have a name and
on it and a completion date to it.
[11:10] It should close on that date,
[11:12] or we should ask why
in a public man manner.
[11:14] It's simply the standard I
would wanna apply to myself if
[11:17] I was on the board or
on the receiving end.
[11:19] This is a five month seat,
[11:21] and I don't intend to
treat it as a placeholder.
[11:23] Whoever sits on this board
should be doing real work
[11:25] between now and December
because our kids don't get
[11:27] these five months back, and
every semester for them counts.
[11:30] This effort will
have my total focus.
[11:32] This would be the only seat and my only
commitment outside of work and family.
[11:36] And I just wanna
leave with this.
[11:37] This city gave me my start.
[11:39] I'd be honored to give
something back, and thank you.
[11:42] Bye.
[11:42] Thank you.
[11:50] Miss Beth Flanagan.
[11:59] Madam chairperson and
members of the board,
[12:01] my name is actually
Mary Helen Dellinger,
[12:03] I'm a resident here at the
city of Fredericksburg.
[12:05] I'm here tonight to speak
on behalf of Beth Flanagan
[12:08] regarding her interest in
having an interim appointment
[12:10] to the city school board.
[12:12] While I will be reading this
statement in the first person,
[12:14] these are Beth's words.
[12:17] Thank you for this opportunity
to share my experience and
[12:19] passion for public education
as well as my vision for the
[12:22] future of education in the
city of Fredericksburg.
[12:25] I would like to take this
opportunity to share how I can
[12:27] utilize my twenty two years
of experience as a teacher to
[12:31] impact three specific areas as
a member of the Fredericksburg
[12:34] School Board.
[12:35] These are policies,
budget, and leadership.
[12:38] Policies are the backbone
of our school system.
[12:41] The best leadership and a well
funded budget cannot overcome
[12:44] policies which do not expressly
support students and families
[12:46] in their quest for
academic success.
[12:49] The creation of a successful
cell phone discipline start and
[12:52] end time and attendance
policies each require in-depth
[12:56] knowledge and experience with a
wide range of children and teens.
[13:00] As stated in the
application letter,
[13:02] I've had the honor of impacting
the lives of over fourteen
[13:04] hundred students.
[13:06] Many of these students spend
more waking hours with a
[13:08] teacher in any day than
with their own families.
[13:11] During this time, educators
learn a lot about our students.
[13:14] We learn what actually works
and what sounds like it would
[13:16] be helpful, but does not
fully reach the goal.
[13:19] This level of experience
guides decision making.
[13:22] Someone in education with
extensive experience can
[13:25] successfully write or
vote on policies to guide
[13:27] administration and students toward
the highest level of success.
[13:31] School board positions
require extensive knowledge of
[13:34] educational practices,
[13:35] strategic thinking for long
ring vision and planning,
[13:38] and the ability to analyze
complex educational data in
[13:41] order to guide policies that
truly support student success.
[13:46] The second area that school
board members can impact is
[13:48] finance and budget.
[13:50] In my own life and in
businesses that I've managed,
[13:52] fiscal responsibility
has been paramount.
[13:55] The distribution of hard earned
taxpayer dollars needs careful
[13:58] stewardship, which I will
bring to the budgetary process.
[14:01] Being a highly attractive
school system to all levels of
[14:03] teachers and fund
groundbreaking programs and
[14:06] technology needs to be balanced
with the financial constraints
[14:09] of taxpayers who have paid into our
system for their entire lifetimes.
[14:13] Finally, leadership.
[14:15] As our school system
moves forward,
[14:16] we will be making the most important
decision a system can make.
[14:19] Who will lead our school away
from underperformance in math,
[14:22] literacy, history, and science?
[14:24] Some may envision the
organizational chart of a
[14:26] school system from the very
top, the superintendent,
[14:29] all the way down to the
students in every classroom.
[14:32] I personally envision that
same chart flipped upside down.
[14:35] The superintendent and central office
hold up and support the
[14:38] administrators in every school,
[14:40] while the administrators are
supporting teachers who in turn
[14:42] support every student,
which are, of course,
[14:44] the top priority
within our system.
[14:46] This vision shows a mindset
that is critical to keeping us
[14:49] focused on what matters
most, our students.
[14:51] Thank you for your
consideration.
[14:53] Thank you.
[15:01] Mister Jacob Parsell.
[15:07] Good afternoon, madam chair and
members of the school board.
[15:09] Thank you for the opportunity
to speak with you today and to
[15:12] be in consideration
for this appointment.
[15:13] I appreciate the time
you invested in this process.
[15:16] I'm seeking this appointment
because I believe our schools
[15:19] deserve strong leaders who
can help ensure decisions are
[15:22] grounded in strong
governance, accountability,
[15:25] sound financial stewardship,
[15:26] and a relentless focus
on student success.
[15:29] Throughout my career,
[15:30] I've helped organizations
navigate complex challenges,
[15:33] manage significant budgets,
develop long term strategies,
[15:37] and build consensus among
diverse stakeholders.
[15:39] Those experiences have taught
me how to ask thoughtful
[15:42] questions, analyze
difficult issues,
[15:45] and make strategic decisions.
[15:47] As someone who lives in this
community and is a graduate of
[15:49] James Monroe High School,
[15:51] I understand that our schools are one
of our greatest public investments.
[15:54] Every dollar spent,
every policy adopted,
[15:57] and every strategic decision
ultimately impacts our
[15:59] students, our
teachers, our families,
[16:02] and the future of
our entire community.
[16:04] If appointed, I will work collaboratively
with my fellow board members,
[16:08] staff, educators, parents,
and community partners.
[16:12] I don't believe effective
governance is always having all
[16:15] of the answers to
every question.
[16:16] It's about asking the right
questions, building trust,
[16:19] and making informed decisions
that will move this school
[16:21] division forward.
[16:22] I believe my professional
background brings a perspective
[16:25] that complements the current
strengths of the school board.
[16:28] My experience in organizational
strategy, financial oversight,
[16:31] performance measurement,
[16:33] and operational improvements
can help ensure we continue
[16:35] making the best decisions to
keep our students at the center
[16:39] of every decision.
[16:40] My goal is simple,
[16:41] help strengthen our school
system to ensure that every
[16:44] student has access to highest
quality education and is
[16:47] prepared to contribute
positively for our to our
[16:49] society going forward.
[16:50] Thank you all again for
your time and consideration.
[16:52] I look forward to working with
you all in the coming weeks.
[16:54] Thank you.
[17:01] At this time, we
will receive comments
[17:05] oh, hold on.
[17:06] Sorry.
[17:07] That was
[17:11] next on our agenda is hearing
of citizens regarding the
[17:15] applicants for the
member at large vacancy.
[17:18] Members of the community,
[17:19] including students
enrolled in the division,
[17:22] are invited and encouraged
to attend meetings of the
[17:25] Fredericksburg City School
Board to observe its
[17:27] deliberations.
[17:29] Any member of the community
may address the school board on
[17:31] matters related to the
Fredericksburg City Public
[17:34] Schools at regular meetings.
[17:36] Meetings, members of the public
are eligible to address the school
[17:39] board are allotted
three minutes to speak,
[17:41] and their time will be monitor
monitored electronically.
[17:44] The citizen should provide
their name and address.
[17:47] Comments shall be addressed
to the entire board and not to
[17:49] individual school board
members, the superintendent
[17:52] staff, or other members
of the audience.
[17:54] Speakers shall maintain
the civility, decorum,
[17:56] and respect for the functioning and
dignity of the school board at all times,
[18:00] and comments that cause
unnecessary delay or disruption
[18:03] to a meeting will be
ruled out of order.
[18:06] Speakers should be respectful
and observe proper decorum in
[18:09] their statements and shall
refrain from vulgarity,
[18:11] obscenities, profanity, and
other like breaches of respect.
[18:15] Speaker comments that
target, criticize,
[18:17] or attack individual students are
not permitted during public meetings.
[18:22] Complaints regarding division
employees should be directed to
[18:24] the appropriate school
division official.
[18:26] Comments that amount to a
personal attack against any
[18:28] school board member and cause
unnecessary delay or disruption
[18:32] to a meeting are not allowed.
[18:33] When reasonable, I will warn a
speaker of breaches of decorum,
[18:37] or of these rules prior to
ruling the action as out of
[18:40] order terminating speaking
privileges or taking,
[18:44] other action to preserve
the civility decorum and
[18:48] orderly conduct of the meeting.
[18:50] Inappropriately loud
conversations or outbursts from
[18:52] those in attendance
will not be tolerated.
[18:54] Groups or individuals creating
a discernment which interferes
[18:57] with the orderly conduct of the
meeting will be asked to leave
[19:01] as will groups or individuals
whose conduct or statements
[19:04] threaten the safety of anyone
in attendance of the meeting.
[19:06] I may call a recess at any
time during the meeting when
[19:09] individuals or groups fail
to comply with these rules,
[19:12] and the school board may agree
by majority vote to suspend
[19:14] this policy for any citizen
comment period, public hearing,
[19:18] or town hall for
the same reasons.
[19:20] Are there citizens wishing to
address the board this evening?
[19:25] We don't require citizens to sign
up in advance for public hearings.
[19:29] Okay. So I guess
they just come up.
[19:34] Okay.
[19:46] My name is Jessica Reed.
[19:48] I live at nine fifteen
Cornell Street in downtown.
[19:52] I have two children
in the school system,
[19:55] both at Walker Grant
and Humersa Elementary.
[19:59] I'm absolutely heartened
to see so many qualified
[20:03] and enthusiastic
candidates tonight.
[20:07] Fredericksburg City is
at a precipice of change.
[20:12] Over the last few years,
[20:14] we have heard repeatedly
how our school system is
[20:17] underperforming in the state.
[20:21] I'm here today to support
doctor Jones because
[20:25] of his experience.
[20:28] Tonight, we've heard words such
as leadership, organization,
[20:35] diligence.
[20:39] What I see is doctor Jones
has already illustrated
[20:43] to us in an educational
format both as
[20:47] superintendent in
education in school
[20:52] districts our size and smaller.
[20:59] Someone else mentioned tonight
that we really don't have
[21:02] time to be able to
reinvent the wheel,
[21:05] to catch somebody up.
[21:08] We wouldn't have to catch
doctor Jones up because he
[21:10] already fully understands the
role of a school board member.
[21:15] Please consider doctor
Stan Jones because we the
[21:19] public stand stand
stood behind him
[21:24] in a record in a record turnout
[21:28] for a write in
candidate last November.
[21:32] Write in candidates
never have good turnouts,
[21:37] particularly when
they're last minute.
[21:41] But doctor Stan Jones
had a twenty one percent.
[21:47] That's nearly one
fourth of voters.
[21:50] Thank you.
[21:51] Thank you.
[21:58] Is there anyone else wishing
to address the board?
[22:05] Good evening. My name
is Nicholas Schuchas.
[22:08] I live at one twenty five
Princess Anne Street.
[22:11] Members of the board,
[22:11] thank you so much for taking
the time to listen to all these
[22:14] candidates willing
to fill this vacancy.
[22:17] As the last speaker,
[22:18] I'm highly encouraged to see so many
people that wanna serve in that capacity.
[22:22] I would like to advocate
in favor of doctor Stan Jones.
[22:27] When he campaigned in
the last election cycle,
[22:29] I saw doctor Jones meet with
communities that are underserved.
[22:35] He came to Hazel Hill and spoke
with children and families
[22:37] there that haven't had that
outreach in prior years.
[22:40] He was always willing to meet
with members of the community,
[22:43] hear their concerns, hear their
pleas, hear their successes,
[22:48] and try to work with them to just
make sure that they were heard.
[22:52] And I think that
goes a long way.
[22:54] He consistently committed
himself and turned up to events
[22:58] to meet and hear people.
[22:59] So it's very clear to me that he takes
this responsibility very seriously.
[23:04] Not only is his
background impressive,
[23:07] but the fact that he's worked
in so many capacities in
[23:10] different school systems,
[23:12] from superintendent to
principal and so on,
[23:15] just uniquely qualifies him.
[23:17] And what I really appreciate
about doctor Jones is he sees
[23:20] the potential, and he wants to
help us reach our potential.
[23:24] He's not gonna point
fingers or blame.
[23:25] He just wants to help
lift everyone up,
[23:27] and I think that is a
remarkable thing to see,
[23:29] especially as a father of two
children in Fredericksburg City
[23:32] Schools.
[23:34] Having a school board that
is committed to finding our best
[23:37] is truly important,
[23:39] and I think that he is uniquely
qualified to help us reach those goals.
[23:43] Thank you so much.
[23:44] Thank you.
[23:58] Good evening. My
name is Sue Sargent.
[24:00] I live in ward three twenty two
thousand four hundred and one.
[24:03] Not one of the other four
applicants tonight addressed
[24:06] what effective school
board actually looks like.
[24:10] That silence is a clear
indicator that they are simply
[24:13] not as prepared as
doctor Stan Jones.
[24:17] In fact, to acknowledge who
the best candidate truly is
[24:21] for this seat, they should
withdraw their applications.
[24:24] Doctor Jones is the only
leader here who will skillfully
[24:28] address the systemic issues
causing too many Fredericksburg
[24:32] families to withdraw their
children for private parochial
[24:35] schools or homeschooling.
[24:37] Doctor Jones knows what an
effective school board looks
[24:40] like because he brings
over thirty years of public
[24:43] education and nonprofit
leadership to the table.
[24:47] He has served as superintendent
of Danville City and King and
[24:50] Queen County Public Schools
Virginia and as deputy
[24:54] superintendent in
Stafford County.
[24:56] As doctor Jones rightly states,
[24:59] effective board
set a clear vision,
[25:01] provide responsible
fiscal oversight, ensure
[25:05] accountability, and support
the superintendent while
[25:09] keeping students at the
center of every decision.
[25:14] Like many two two four
zero one residents,
[25:16] doctor Jones has followed
our FCPS situation closely.
[25:20] When he stepped up as a writing
candidate for ward four,
[25:24] I volunteered for his campaign
and attended most of Doctor
[25:28] Jones meet and greets and the
community candidate forums.
[25:31] At one event, I
told him directly,
[25:34] you have a strong North
[25:38] Star.
[25:39] Some of us with careers in
public education can spot that
[25:43] quality immediately.
[25:45] I served forty three years
in Virginia public schools,
[25:48] my first two years
in Danville City,
[25:50] decades before Stan
became superintendent.
[25:54] Thirty one years in Spotsylvania
County Public Schools,
[25:57] staying through the pandemic
because of superintendent
[26:00] doctor Scott Baker's
vision and North Star.
[26:04] Stan Jones is a
wise man who will be
[26:08] welcomed everywhere.
[26:10] He has successfully
navigated the stormy seas of
[26:14] budget cuts, curriculum changes,
and shifting state standards.
[26:18] His inner compass points
steadily towards excellence,
[26:22] equity, integrity,
and accountability.
[26:25] Just what Fredericksburg City
Public Schools School Board
[26:28] needs and is long overdue.
[26:31] That is the exact wisdom
doctor Jones will bring to the
[26:35] FCPS school board dais.
[26:37] Stan Jones is the leader who
will work collaboratively with
[26:41] his school board and
superintendent doctor Catlett
[26:43] to skillfully right
this ship and guide
[26:47] Fredericksburg forward for
our city public schools.
[26:50] Thank you for your
consideration.
[26:53] Thank you.
[26:59] Is there anyone else wishing
to address the board this evening?
[27:04] Okay.
[27:07] Please just state your name
and your address, please.
[27:09] Porter Fitch, Brent
Street, College Heights.
[27:12] I would just like to come and
speak on behalf of Doctor.
[27:15] Jones.
[27:16] I work in finance for
a school division,
[27:19] and I've worked with
Stan Jones in Stafford,
[27:21] and I think that he has the
experience and the breadth of
[27:24] knowledge and the oversight
and experience to right the
[27:28] ship, as prior
speakers have said.
[27:30] I'm very confident
in his abilities,
[27:33] and I really wish that he was on
this board with his background.
[27:40] I think it would be very
beneficial for his oversight in
[27:43] terms of the academic programs
and performance of our students.
[27:46] I think he would be a
blessing for our children,
[27:49] and I look forward to
seeing him up here soon.
[28:02] Is there anyone else?
[28:05] Okay.
[28:07] Thank you to the applicants who
have expressed an interest in
[28:12] filling the member at large
vacant seat on an interim basis.
[28:15] The interim term expires December
thirty first twenty twenty five.
[28:19] The board will announce and
vote on its decision to fill
[28:22] the vacant seat at the
beginning of a special August
[28:25] seventeenth school
board meeting.
[28:27] The appointed candidate will
take the oath of office prior
[28:30] to the beginning of
their interim term.
[28:33] As a reminder, the school board has
petitioned the court for the vacancy to be
[28:37] on the ballot for the general
and special election in
[28:42] November of twenty twenty six.
[28:45] So you'd need to get with
the registrar's office to
[28:50] find out the the details
of how to run for the the
[28:53] special election seat.
[29:06] Okay.
[29:06] Did we want to
[29:11] discuss candidates tonight or
just take this information and
[29:18] take it over?
[29:19] Gonna inquire about that
because I saw the agenda six a
[29:21] says discuss
candidates, and I was
[29:24] unsure myself, miss
Pomeroy, about the process.
[29:27] Okay.
[29:27] I know we need to decide in
two weeks. Right? But Right.
[29:30] I guess my direct question
will be, if not now,
[29:32] when will we have the
ability to discuss?
[29:34] So
[29:37] I can open that up. Do
you wanna start? Or?
[29:40] I'll be happy to. Thank you.
[29:42] I I first would like to echo
a lot of the public comments
[29:44] where I'm heartened,
[29:45] and I'm I literally have
goosebumps all over my arms
[29:48] right now because, quite
frankly, when I ran a year ago,
[29:52] I was the only one
who ran for my seat,
[29:54] I was disappointed by that.
[29:55] And others ran unopposed.
[29:57] I had to see five quality
candidates with backgrounds and
[30:01] coming dressed to present and
speak to us tonight and talk
[30:04] about children and the breadth and
depth of background and experience.
[30:08] It's just it's
really it's awesome.
[30:10] So thank you all, all five.
[30:13] I'll add speaking to candidates,
[30:15] we obviously had a lot of
speakers about doctor Jones.
[30:18] I he has a pretty
spectacular reputation.
[30:21] I also worked in Stafford for
thirteen years before Stan came,
[30:25] and I have a lot of colleagues
and people who've worked with
[30:28] with doctor Jones and
spoke highly of him.
[30:31] So quite frankly,
[30:32] having a superintendent apply
to be on the school board is a
[30:35] pretty remarkable qualification.
[30:37] And I know as his role in
Stafford, he was essentially,
[30:41] you know, deputy superintendent.
[30:43] And I watched many
of those meetings,
[30:44] and I saw doctor Jones act,
and I was really impressed.
[30:48] So he's the only one I probably
had any kind of firsthand or or
[30:51] even direct secondhand
information from others about
[30:55] their reputation.
[30:56] But, again, I just wanna reiterate
everyone impressed me tonight.
[30:59] I don't wanna name all four
individually and what I liked
[31:02] about each, but I will say
tremendously impressed.
[31:05] And thank you all.
[31:06] And I hope at the election
you all run and that in subsequent
[31:10] elections, even for
ward one from my seat,
[31:12] I hope I have a
lot of competitors who are as
[31:14] qualified as you all.
[31:15] So that's all I'll I'll
share right now, miss Palmer.
[31:17] Okay. Thank you.
Yes. Miss McFadden.
[31:20] You know, again, thank
you all for coming
[31:24] and speaking and
truly, you know,
[31:27] putting your application in.
[31:28] It's, again, like
Andy said or Doctor.
[31:31] Wolfenberger said,
[31:32] excuse me it is very exciting
to see that there are people
[31:35] interested in supporting the
schools and our students.
[31:38] And it's also exciting to hear
that we had JM grads who want
[31:41] to come and kind of
full circle come and,
[31:45] yeah, support the schools.
[31:49] One thing that really
sticks out is, you know,
[31:51] this is a unique situation
where we are appointing
[31:54] someone, but we have a lot
of our public supporting,
[31:57] and there's a very clear public
support for one of the candidates.
[32:01] And I think, for me, that's
something that speaks volumes,
[32:04] and I feel like that's really
going to weigh on how I feel
[32:08] and make my decision is when
we have that amount of unspoken
[32:12] or just, you know,
spoken support.
[32:15] And, you know, I received
emails all in support of
[32:18] Doctor. Stan Jones.
[32:20] And so thank you.
[32:22] Yeah, to piggyback on Ms.
[32:24] McFadden's comment,
[32:26] first, this is a good
problem to have, I guess.
[32:29] Have like, y'all are
not making this easy.
[32:31] I
[32:34] also recognize the vast amount
of public support for Doctor.
[32:37] Jones,
[32:39] which is wonderful.
[32:42] For those of you
who are not Doctor.
[32:45] Jones, I would not
let that dissuade
[32:49] you, because Doctor.
[32:51] Jones was lucky that he kind
of had a little head start on
[32:53] y'all in terms of
campaigning as a write in
[32:56] during our election.
[32:57] So, unfortunately, we've
got five great people.
[33:00] We have one spot to fill,
but this is not, you know,
[33:04] a finite spot.
[33:06] It's gonna be open again later.
[33:08] All of our seats will
be up eventually.
[33:11] So, would encourage
you all to, you know,
[33:13] if this does not work out this
time around, like, keep trying.
[33:17] Run your campaigns when you can,
[33:20] and get yourself out there to
the public, because you all,
[33:22] all of you, have really
[33:26] relevant experience
to offer to the
[33:30] board, even if it's
not in education.
[33:33] I'm really looking for somebody
with a specific attitude
[33:38] versus a specific resume.
[33:39] So keep going.
That's my message.
[33:44] So I will reiterate a lot of
what my colleagues have said,
[33:49] or I could reiterate a lot of what
my colleagues have already said.
[33:53] I appreciate all of you
so much for coming out
[33:57] tonight and presenting
us with such a
[34:01] persuasive amount
of information.
[34:08] It seems that all of you would make
excellent school board members.
[34:13] And
[34:15] really, it fills my heart
with joy that we have
[34:19] this many people in our
community that care enough
[34:22] about the children
of Fredericksburg,
[34:25] the families of Fredericksburg in
our community that want to serve.
[34:29] That being said,
[34:32] I think what my colleagues
have said about Doctor.
[34:35] Jones having run already
and sort of getting
[34:39] a head start on this,
[34:41] that was a good
way of putting it,
[34:45] And having such an
[34:48] impressive education resume.
[34:51] I mean, someone who really knows
[34:54] school divisions, school policy,
[34:57] you know, how how board
governance works inside and
[35:02] outside is is really
[35:05] kind of an amazing set
of of qualifications.
[35:10] That being said,
you you all bring,
[35:15] you know, different I
mean, different really,
[35:18] really impressive,
[35:22] thoughtful
[35:23] ideas and and, you know,
[35:28] and experiences.
[35:31] So this is, I mean,
[35:33] this is not an easy
it's not an easy choice.
[35:37] I kinda wish it were.
[35:39] Last year, we we just appointed
someone who'd been on our school board
[35:43] before, so it was
kinda super easy.
[35:45] And this time, it is it is
a little more difficult.
[35:50] I will encourage you all
to to stay involved and
[35:54] run for the open seat.
[35:57] You know, there's this seat
that will be up this year.
[36:01] It'll be up again next year
for the full four year term.
[36:06] And to stay involved,
we do have, you know,
[36:10] different parental advisory
boards within the school division.
[36:13] And so if you don't
get selected to be
[36:17] the interim board member,
[36:18] I do encourage you to get
involved in our school division
[36:21] in other ways, you
know, breakfast buddies,
[36:24] being on on different, you know,
[36:27] commissions or task for task
forces within our our division
[36:31] because we need you, and I really
I want you to stay involved.
[36:35] So thank you from the
bottom of my heart
[36:38] for for having the courage
and bravery to come out here
[36:41] tonight and put yourself
out there to the community.
[36:44] I I do really
appreciate all of you.
[36:47] Miss Kay?
[36:47] Yes.
[36:48] Well, I didn't get one
call for doctor Jones,
[36:51] and I did have the pleasure
of running against him.
[36:55] My constituents don't
support him, but I do
[36:59] I did get calls
about the JM grads.
[37:02] It was the experience
of going through
[37:07] the school system that I think
[37:12] impressed my constituents
because it's different when
[37:17] you have people who move into
the city who haven't really
[37:23] understood the uniqueness
of Fredericksburg.
[37:27] There's a unique community here,
[37:29] and we were fortunate
to get through a lot
[37:34] of things together.
[37:35] And we had such an
array of wonderful
[37:40] teachers in the school
system that the calls that I
[37:44] received were for the JM grads.
[37:48] But I missed some of
the interviews traffic,
[37:51] so thank you.
[37:53] Okay.
[37:57] So
[38:00] next steps will just be for
[38:04] for us to come to a consensus
as to who will be the
[38:08] the next school board member,
[38:12] which
[38:14] do we do that at the
August seventeenth meeting?
[38:17] Is that You vote at your August
[38:20] seventeenth meeting.
[38:21] Yes.
[38:21] Right.
[38:21] So we would just
present a candidate for
[38:26] for a vote at the August
seventeenth meeting.
[38:28] Yes.
[38:29] Okay.
[38:31] Sounds good.
[38:32] Then I guess that's that's all
that we have for tonight for
[38:36] this special session.
[38:37] Do I have a motion to adjourn?
[38:39] I move to adjourn.
[38:42] Do I have a second? Second.
[38:44] Motion to adjourn by Ms.
McFadden, seconded by Ms.
[38:46] Langdon.
[38:47] All
[38:50] those in favor?
[38:51] Aye. Any opposed?
[38:53] All right. Meeting is adjourned.
[38:58] Thank you.