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Dr. James Dumminger will be running a write-in campaign as the incumbent for the District 701 Prince Edward County School Board seat. He has been on the board since April 2019 when he was appointed to the school board to fill the vacated seat held by Cainan Townsend. He was then elected to the board in November 2019.

Dumminger has lived in Prince Edward County for almost 40 years. During that time, he has been active in many service organizations and in his church.

Dumminger, known by many in Buckingham as “Dr. D,” served as Principal of Gold Hill Elementary and as a central office administrator in Buckingham for 16 years until he retired in 2012. Prior to that he taught students math and for 37 years served as an administrator at the elementary, middle, high school and central office levels including 15 years (1971-1986) in the Prince Edward County School System.

He earned degrees from St. Joseph College, Indiana, bachelor’s; Longwood University, masters; University of Virginia, education specialist; and Virginia Tech, doctor of education. After 41.5 years he retired from education and is currently “enjoying retirement” working as a seasonal park guide at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.

Dumminger stated that he enjoyed working with the Prince Edward County School Board and is looking forward to cooperating with them to improve all aspects of the school system. His varied experiences provide him with the background to make informed decisions that will be in the best interests of the students and the community. One of his goals is to help improve the achievement of the students in Prince Edward as he and his staff did with a school that was not accredited in any area to become a fully accredited school.

COVID-19 has slowed down progress in Prince Edward County Public Schools (PECPS.) The superintendent has made every effort to provide instruction for the students; however, many students have a hard time learning online, like many in schools throughout Virginia. This can be especially difficult when internet connections go down in some areas. The superintendent invited the Virginia Department of Education to evaluate our schools. Since then, a number of state educators have come to the system to work with our hard-working staff. One educator from the state attends nearly every school board meeting and is in the schools frequently. Plans are also being developed to improve our buildings. If reelected, Dumminger will do all in his power to make sure that our young people become productive citizens and do so in a healthy atmosphere. If these steps don’t improve achievement quickly then things need to change, especially now that the students are in the classroom with a teacher.

His experience in school finance and work on the school board finance committee will help Dumminger to keep a close eye on the efficient expenditure of the schools’ money. He also played a role in the planning, the procurement of funding and the construction of school buildings as an administrator.

Dumminger has been married to LouAnn Dumminger for 43 years and their sons, Jim, Jr. and Tim, graduated from the Prince Edward County School System and Virginia Tech.