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There were very few people attending the first two town hall meetings with the Prince Edward School Board. But those who did show up explained why very few teachers speak up over concerns, while praising the work of interim superintendent Dr. Joseph Cox. 

These meetings are part of a five-part series organized by the school board, as they look for the next superintendent for Prince Edward County Public Schools. Dr. Barbara Johnson stepped down at the end of September and currently Dr. Joseph Cox is filling the role on an interim basis. One repeated theme during Monday and Tuesday’s meetings involved how different it has been for teachers and the rest of staff since Cox took over. Teachers said they’ve seen an increase in morale, with Cox being visible in every single building.

“I see him every day and he has made it abundantly clear that he is there to support us,” said one staff member, who declined to give their name. “I think if you were to make those exact same choices for the superintendent (qualifications) moving forward, that would be an ideal

situation. I am very confident in the decision you made already (hiring Cox) and if you did exactly that same thing, we would be in a perfect situation.”

Why are teachers leaving? 

Another concern raised during Monday’s town hall meeting, held at Crawley Forum on the Hampden-Sydney campus, was about teachers leaving. In order to improve test scores and accreditation status, you need good teachers. And good teachers won’t stay unless they feel supported, people commented. 

“People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers,” said one teacher, who declined to give his name. “They’re voting with their feet.” 

He’s referring to the 38 staff members that left Prince Edward schools since last semester. Some retired, while others left for a new job. What The Herald heard, both in these town hall meetings and in conversation with some of those former teachers, is they haven’t felt supported.

One example repeatedly cited has been the September meeting between Dr. Johnson and Prince Edward County supervisors, where she was asked about the inability of the district schools to reach full accreditation. While Prince Edward Elementary achieved it one year during her term, the other schools have not. Originally, chronic absences were blamed for the lower test scores. That built to a question and answer session during September’s supervisors’ meeting, where Johnson was asked why test scores didn’t increase this past year, as attendance improved.

“Because of instruction, general instruction,” Johnson said. “We need to make sure that everyone in all of our schools focuses on the standards, understands the standards and teaches the standards and that did not happen across the board.”

She was asked at the time why that didn’t happen and Johnson gave several reasons.

“I think some people like to teach certain things and are accustomed to teaching them the way they’ve always taught them,” Johnson said. “I think some people don’t really understand the standards at the level they need to understand them.” 

Multiple teachers The Herald spoke with felt they were unfairly blamed. 

Who will choose superintendent candidate? 

Another question brought up during the town hall meetings was about who would be on the selection committee, going through the applications from superintendent candidates. 

“We’ve got that question a few times,” said Prince Edward School Board Chair Lucy Carson. Speaking at Monday’s town hall meeting, Carson said right now they expect it just to be the school board, but the group was open to possibly including some Prince Edward residents.

Other suggestions included better exit surveys for departing teachers and more support for students. Longwood professor and Prince Edward Elementary PTO President Dr. Hannah Dudley-Shotwell said she wants a superintendent who will encourage more mental health support for students, particularly middle schoolers. 

“Our students there really need support in that regard,” Shotwell said, citing anecdotes she’d heard that students are struggling more after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prince Edward Supervisor Dr. Odessa Pride was in the audience as an observer Monday, rather than an elected official. 

“I still have four grandchildren in the school system,” Pride said. “Two elementary, one middle and one (in) high school. So I’m definitely interested.” 

She emphasized a desire to get the best person in the position, rather than sticking with a deadline. In earlier conversations with The Herald, the Virginia School Boards Association, which is helping with the search, had suggested a rough timeframe of March or April 2025 to identify the best candidate. Pride pointed out that some of the best candidates might be working currently in school districts and to get the best fit, it might be a good idea to extend that if need be. 

“If we go over (the deadline), even substantially, it doesn’t really matter,” School Board member Dr. James Arieti. He added that the hiring timeframe was what the county hoped for, but if an appropriate candidate could not be found by even July 2025, there would be no serious issues. Basically, they want to get the best fit. 

More meetings coming up 

There are two more town hall meetings where residents can share their thoughts. The first is on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the Prince Edward Middle School Cafeteria. That starts at 10 a.m. And the last meeting will be next Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Community Center on Sulfur Spring and Pinoak Road, starting at 6 p.m. 

Carson encouraged residents to come out and share what they want in the next superintendent. 

“We’re not here to talk, we’re here to listen,” Carson said. “We want to hear what people have to say, because that’s what’s going to help drive our search.”

Editor’s note: John Karratti contributed to this story.