Edwards will not seek third term on Waynesboro School Board
Waynesboro School Board member Brian Edwards announced today that he will not seek a third term to the At-Large seat on the Board.
“This was a difficult decision as working for Waynesboro’s students for the past eight years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. However, with a growing number of personal and professional obligations, I determined I will not be able to give the same level of commitment to Waynesboro Public Schools as in the past,” Edwards said.
Edwards endorsed Linda Schorsch Jones, who announced last week her intention to seek the seat, which will be contested in the May city elections. Continue reading “Edwards will not seek third term on Waynesboro School Board” »
Two announce candidacies for Waynesboro School Board
Doug Norcross and Dr. Melinda Ferguson announced their candidacies to run for re-election to the Waynesboro School Board in the May 2012 election.
Norcross, who represents Ward A on the Board, and his wife, Sue, are active citizens of Waynesboro and are now enjoying retirement. Norcross has three children. He lost his son Kevin to cancer in 2003. He has two daughters, Drema Antes, and his granddaughter, Caitlin; and Ashley Adams and her husband Aaron, who have a 9-month-old daughter, Avery Lynn. Ashley is a licensed registered nurse at UVa. hospital and a 2003 graduate of Waynesboro High School. Aaron is a deputy sheriff in Culpeper County and he also graduated from Waynesboro High School. Doug enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, bowling, watching and listening to political talk shows. Continue reading “Two announce candidacies for Waynesboro School Board” »
Local attorney announces run for School Board
Attorney Linda Schorsch Jones has announced that she will run for the At-Large seat on the Waynesboro School Board in the May 1 general election.
A long-time Waynesboro resident, Jones graduated from Stuarts Draft High School in 1982 and from the University of Virginia in 1986, earning a bachelor of arts degree with honors in English including a minor in foreign affairs. As an undergraduate, she spent a semester studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
She went on to law school at the University of Richmond, where she obtained her juris doctorate in 1989. In law school she had the opportunity to spend a semester studying at Cambridge University in England and to have clerkships with both the state Attorney General’s Office (Mary Sue Terry) and the Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office (Jim Gilmore). Continue reading “Local attorney announces run for School Board” »
School Board to fill Ward B seat
The Ward B School Board vacancy does not require a special election since the term ends June 30, 2012. Local School Board elections for Ward B are currently scheduled for May 8, 2012. The Waynesboro School Board will fill the vacancy from Ward B on an interim basis until the next election.
The vacancy must be filled by the Waynesboro School Board within 45 days of the office becoming vacant.
Qualified community members are encouraged to send a letter of interest, with a brief biography, to the Chairman of the Waynesboro School Board by August 9, 2011. The appointee must be a qualified voter of Ward B. Please send letters of interest to:
Mr. Doug Norcross, Chairman
Waynesboro Public Schools
301 Pine Avenue
Waynesboro, Virginia 22980
As part of the process, the Waynesboro School Board will hold a public hearing at the August 9, 2011 Waynesboro School Board Meeting on the vacancy “to receive recommendations and views from citizens within the school division”.
All names of the candidates will be announced at the end of the public hearing.
Following the School Board Meeting, at a later date, viable candidates will be interviewed in open session by members of the Waynesboro School Board.
An interim Waynesboro School Board Member from Ward B will be appointed at the September 13, 2011 School Board Meeting.
If you have questions or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact members of the Waynesboro School Board or the Administrative Offices at (540) 946-4600 Ext. 13.
Waynesboro School Board announces three appointments
The Waynesboro School Board announced the appointment of Mr. Joseph Gates as assistant principal at Waynesboro High School at its School Board meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2011. Gates will become assistant principal at Waynesboro High School on July 1, 2011.
Since 2001, he has taught world geography in Rockbridge County Schools and served as an Instructional Technology Resource Specialist. He has also been an assistant principal for Rockbridge County Schools from 2005-2011. Gates holds a bachelor of arts degree in history and geography and a master of education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Tech. He also has a master’s degree certificate in educational leadership from the University of Virginia.
Tim Teachey, principal of Waynesboro High School, said “Gates will be a great addition to our staff. He brings varied instructional experiences and insight from both the middle school and high school level. Waynesboro High School’s instructional program will benefit from his expertise in technology, curriculum and instruction.”
Gates resides with his wife and son in Rockbridge Baths.
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The Waynesboro School Board announced the appointment of Candace Kimmett as assistant principal at Waynesboro High School at its Tuesday, June 14, 2011 School Board meeting.
Kimmett has a bachelor of science in health and physical education from Bridgewater College and a master in science education with an administration concentration from Shenandoah University. Mrs. Kimmett joined Waynesboro Public Schools in 1991 as a health and physical education instructor at Kate Collins Middle School and later moved to the Waynesboro High School faculty in 2000.
During her tenure in Waynesboro, she has provided continued service and support to the varsity athletics program as an assistant coach, head coach and served as the assistant activities coordinator from 2004 to present. Kimmett’s peers have recognized her as being a dedicated teacher, always willing to go the extra mile for students and offering support for the school program as a whole.
Waynesboro Schools Superintendent Robin Crowder said “Kimmett’s leadership style will provide a perfect dimension to the Waynesboro High School administrative team. In her previous roles, she has established positive relationships with faculty, students, parents and the community. She has a record of planning student and staff events, coordinating activities with other school divisions and working with other staff members to enhance instructional programs. Her high energy, unique organizational skills, and self-motivation will contribute to her ability to have a positive impact as a leader for Waynesboro High School.”
She and her husband Jamie reside in Fishersville.
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The Waynesboro School Board will appoint Dr. Kathy Tucker as acting administrator for the new Wayne Hills Center at its Tuesday, June 14, School Board meeting.
The Wayne Hills Center will house all of Waynesboro’s preschool classes, as well as the Waynesboro High School Phoenix Program. Dr. Tucker has recently been serving as a consultant with Ann Miller, elementary coordinator for Waynesboro Schools, in the planning of a division wide preschool program, which combines all preschool classes from the elementary schools including the Headstart Program. Her new position will begin July 1, 2011.
Dr. Tucker has a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education from James Madison University. She also holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and a doctorate in administration and leadership from the University of Virginia. She has previously worked in Augusta County Schools with extensive experiences as a classroom teacher, differentiation specialist, a coordinator for the Shenandoah Valley Headstart Program and an elementary principal. She has served as an adjunct professor for the education department of Mary Baldwin College from 2009 to the present.
Assistant Superintendent Vermell Grant said “Tucker will be a great resource to our staff at the Wayne Hills Center. She is easy to talk to and brings a warm, engaging style to our administrative team. The entire school division will benefit from her expertise in curriculum and instruction and her diverse professional background. Dr. Tucker exhibits a love for students and great understanding of the teaching and learning process. Parents and staff will find her insight valuable and beneficial. We are very pleased to have Dr. Tucker join Waynesboro Schools and provide leadership support for this new initiative.”
She is the mother of three grown children and resides with her husband, Lowery, in Greenville.
Y, Waynesboro Public Schools team up to offer Pre-K afterschool
The Waynesboro YMCA and Waynesboro Public Schools will partner in the fall to offer pre-kindergarten afterschool care at Wayne Hills, meeting a long-identified need in the Waynesboro community.
“The Waynesboro Y will be providing a valuable service that many working parents have requested for several years,” said Robin Crowder, the superintendent of Waynesboro Public Schools, which will be moving all of its Pre-K students to Wayne Hills as part of a plan adopted by the Waynesboro School Board to free up classroom space at the city’s four elementary schools.
Approximately 140 students will be on-site at Wayne Hills for the daylong Pre-K, Crowder said. The growth of Pre-K into being a daylong program in recent years has created a need for afterchool care for Pre-K youngsters as single parents and working parents of Pre-K’ers have found themselves tasked with the same challenge that parents of older children have in terms of finding quality afterschool care.
A group of parents approached the city a few years ago to start a discussion on what could be done to accommodate the need, but that review didn’t lead to anything in terms of action to address the need at that time.
The Y did its own review of what it might be able to do to provide Pre-K afterschool care, but YMCA executive director Jeff Fife said the Y’s facility at 648 S. Wayne Ave. “doesn’t give us the flexibility to add another classroom, and we’ve been turning down families requesting the service. ”
The decision earlier this year by the school system to move its Pre-K classes under one roof at Wayne Hills created another opportunity to look at what could be done to provide Pre-K afterschool. Officials with the school system and with the Y worked through the spring to go over their options to partner to provide the service before finalizing the plans for the fall last week.
“We are very excited to begin this joint venture with Waynesboro Public Schools. Afterschool care for pre-kindergartners is a true need in our community, and we are happy to be able to provide a service to those families,” Waynesboro YMCA Childcare director Rebecca Patton said.
The Y will be working with Waynesboro Public Schools to add value to the program over the next few years so that the afterschool care also serves a school-readiness objective.
“This is a perfect tie-in, and we look forward to working jointly with the teaching staff to support their efforts as well,” said Fife, adding that the Y will also be looking to adding a physical-fitness component to the program to establish early patterns of a healthy lifestyle.
“This is a win-win for the school system, the Y, the families we’ll serve, and the community at-large,” Fife said.
Crowder is looking forward to seeing the partnership take off in the coming years.
“Having the Pre-K program in one building will make this program a great success. We are so pleased to be working with the Waynesboro YMCA – we have similar missions,” Crowder said.
YMCA Pre-K Afterschool Childcare
- $50 registration fee
- Y Members: $50 per week
- Non-Members: $55 per week
- Full time only
- For full day care when school is out due to holidays, teacher workdays or inclement weather, there will be an additional cost of $15 per day for Y Members and $18 per day for Non-Members. The Y is working with the Department of Social Services to provide tuition assistance and with generous YMCA supporters to provide income-based scholarships.
For more information, contact Rebecca Patton, Childcare Director at 540-943-9622 ext 208.
The program will provide:
- a weekly physical fitness program designed especially for 3- to -5-year-olds
- educational field trips on full days
- weekly swimming at the Y
- daily outdoor play time
- arts and crafts
- dedicated homework/tutoring time
- staff will be working closely with Pre-K teachers to provide educational support where needed
Mixed bag in local election results
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Tighter-than-expected elections in Waynesboro, and results as expected in Staunton. That was Election Day in the Valley on Tuesday. Continue reading “Mixed bag in local election results” »
It’s endorsement time
Written by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Waynesboro is going to head in a new direction after Tuesday’s city elections. Staunton is going to continue on a familiar and proven course. We can say that with certainty as different as the two election cycles have been in the sister cities.
Free read from AFPTheMagazine.com.
Continue reading “It’s endorsement time” »
Election Guide 2010
Compiled by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
AFPTheMagazine.com offers up information on the candidates for public office in contested races in Staunton and Waynesboro to be decided on May 4.
Free public service of AFPTheMagazine.com. Continue reading “Election Guide 2010” »
Just rearrange the deck chairs
Why are our local school systems going to a job fair when they’re cutting jobs?
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
It seems counterintuitive at first glance – to have a job fair to recruit potential new employees when the economic reality that you’re facing has you considering deep and painful cuts to staff. So when it was brought to my attention that the Waynesboro school system was spending what I was told was more than $3,000 to take part in a teacher-recruitment fair at James Madison University this weekend, yeah, I did a doubletake.
Turns out that the figure cited to me was low – it’s actually going to cost the city school system $5,000 to take part in the Shenandoah Valley Job Fair. It also turns out that Augusta County and Staunton and administrators from school systems in several neighboring localities are going to be there. And all, it seems to me, after looking into the matter, for good reason.
“We experience between a 9 and 15 percent turnover in professional staff each year due to attrition – retirements, relocations, life changes, et cetera. Because this may occur within an unpredictable timeline and varied endorsement areas, we must be certain we maintain an adequate pool of applicants with varied levels of experience, licensure and endorsements,” said Vermell Grant, the assistant superintendent in the central office at Waynesboro Public Schools.
Which is to say, the outside-looking-in wisdom that, OK, you’re having to cut jobs, you have some people retiring, some people moving, so just move people around internally, and you’ve got it all covered, doesn’t work in practice. Continue reading “Just rearrange the deck chairs” »
The AFP Show | Budgets and triggermen
Hosted by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The AFP Show | Budgets and triggermen (20:21)
[audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/thenewdominion01/THE_AFP_SHOW_feb._18.mp3]
The Feb. 18 installment of The AFP Show has editor Chris Graham conversing with:- State Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, whose legislative initiative to extend exposure to the death penalty to people who order hits or engage others in murder-for-hire appears to be on its way to falling short in the State Senate.
- Waynesboro City Councilwoman Lorie Smith, who talks about the current-year city budget shortfall and what city leaders will need to do to address service-delivery issues in fiscal-year 2010-2011.
- Waynesboro School Board Chairman Jeremy Taylor, who joins the show to discuss proposed changes in the Local Composite Index that could impact the city school budget.
Chris Graham: A little here, a little there, and it starts to add up
Posted by afp on February 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Policy moves at the local and state level aren’t making things any easier.
We’ll start in City Hall, which is looking at a $183,000 shortfall in the current fiscal-year budget and a $2.6 million funding gap in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. With the U.S. economy beginning to heat up, posting 6 percent growth in gross domestic product in the fourth quarter of 2009, the glaring hole in the City Hall employee flow chart in the economic-development director position that has been open since August 2008 won’t get the city in a position to take advantage of growth opportunities that are already in the offing. Continue reading “Chris Graham: A little here, a little there, and it starts to add up” »
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