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The first thing to say about the departure of Dr. Barbara Johnson as school superintendent is “thank you.” School superintendent has always been a hard job, and especially these days. Beyond the usual financial, operational and educational challenges, the role now requires navigating political divides, terrifying security issues and the challenges of social media. Children are still feeling the fallout from Covid. In a district like Prince Edward, students come to school already significantly affected by a range of difficulties at home. It’s easy to criticize from afar. But every day our educators wrestle with impossible problems, with limited tools.

Any fair judgment on Dr. Johnson’s eight-year tenure should include some important good news: progress on absenteeism, better alignment of teaching with standards, and a new elementary school under construction. With my own two children, I’ve seen how much underappreciated good happens at PECPS. Dr. Johnson deserves our thanks — and acknowledgment that if there was not greater progress, we also bear some responsibility.

That said, we cannot be satisfied with where we are. A tremendous amount rides on the School Board’s search and choice for our next leader– not just for our kids but for our whole community. You might not think you have a stake in the schools. But vibrancy, stability, economic growth and the tax base all depend on a strong public school system that attracts and retains businesses and young families. So many communities our size are failing here, falling into a cycle of population and economic decline. We must not. And that means identifying some urgent priorities for our next leader – all of which will require help from the rest of us, too.

First, we need to aim high. Farmville and Prince Edward aren’t just another rural school district. We have genuine strengths other places lack: important national history, a world-class civil rights museum, and two great colleges eager to help. We have a vibrant downtown, stable major employers, strong local leadership, and good habits of getting along locally even against the backdrop of divided national politics. There is a strong foundation of families here already, with real community pride. Unfortunately, while connections to the schools have atrophied, there is low-lying fruit to rebuild them.

For all those reasons, leading the Prince Edward schools ought genuinely to be a great job, appealing to energetic, ambitious candidates who want to make a difference in a place that matters. There is someone great out there willing to go all in to help this place reach our potential. So let’s not settle. Our part will be to help the School Board persuade them to come, and show them that while, yes, they’ll be held accountable for their part of the work ahead, they won’t be alone.

Second, we urgently need to become a better place for good teachers and other educators to want to work and build a career. This is a national challenge, but it has been a crisis here. Our next leader must be the kind of person great teachers want to work for. He or she must build a workplace culture that makes them want to stay. 

As a community, our part in this must include helping with concrete steps toward more affordable housing options for educators and other workers like nurses on whom we depend. We need to keep up our financial support to the schools – not just to pay teachers a living and competitive wage, but investing in adequate staffing so they don’t constantly burn out.  And we need a more appreciative and supportive culture for teachers, so they will feel valued, and want to build lives and careers here. Teachers, coaches and schools staff should ride at the front of the Farmville Christmas Parade.

Finally, we urgently need a superintendent willing and able to serve as the public face of our schools. That means advocating, and being visible and accessible across every group in our community – families, neighborhoods, businesses, churches, civic groups. We need someone who will communicate clearly and often to the public — celebrating successes, speaking honestly about challenges, taking responsibility for what is in their purview, and asking for help for what is beyond it. 

As families are increasingly squeezed out of unaffordable cities, Farmville/Prince Edward is poised to be the kind of place that can thrive. This search should be an occasion for wider engagement about strengthening our schools and their connections to our community. In this critical moment, I hope our School Board and community will rise to the occasion and aim high — and that all of us will set the next PECPS leader up for success. 

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Justin Pope is a Farmville resident and father of children currently in the Prince Edward County school system. He can be reached at jnn_pope97@yahoo.com.