[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.

Special Fredericksburg School Board 8/3/2026

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