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CUMBERLAND – Cumberland County is the home of this year’s Region 8 Superintendent of the Year. On Tuesday, it was announced that Dr. Chip Jones, Superintendent of Cumberland County Public Schools, was chosen for the regional honor. 

Region 8 is one of eight districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia and includes 12 school divisions in Central and Southside Virginia. This is truly an award given out by peers, as all the superintendents in a region vote each year on who will represent them. 

“I am honored to have been chosen for this recognition by the Region 8 superintendents,” Jones said. “I appreciate their support as we all work together to provide opportunities for students, staff, and families throughout Southside Virginia.”

The yearly accreditation and Standards of Learning (SOL) scores highlight the work Jones has done across the district. 

When it comes to the SOL test, math scores were up this year, with 58% of district students passing the test. Last year, only 33% did that. The same goes for reading, where 59% of students passed, compared to 56% last year.

When it comes to accreditation, each school receives a “quality rating” of Level One, Two or Three when being considered for accreditation. Level One means you meet or exceed the state standards. Level Two means you’re showing improvement, but haven’t quite got there yet. Finally, Level Three means there are issues, as the school is performing below state standards. In Cumberland’s case, most of the ratings for all three schools came in this year at Level One

Jones will now compete against the other seven regional winners later this spring, for the title of Virginia Superintendent of the Year.