001Brown, Chair of the Virginia Beach School Board, and it is 3.33 p.m., and I call this Administrative Informal and Workshop session to order. Madam Clerk, would you please announce the roll? Thank you, Madam Chair. Present in the School Board Chamber are Chair Brown, Vice Chair Weems, Mr. Bowen-Steele, Mr. Callan, Mr. Cummings, Ms. Dwyer, Ms. Felton, Dr. Green, and Ms. Rogers. Okay, thank you. At this time, Vice Chair Weems will read into closed session. I move that the school board recess into closed session in accordance with the exceptions to open meetings law set forth in Code of Virginia 2.2-3711, Part A, Paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8 as amended to deliberate on the following matters. One, discussion, consideration, or interviews of prospective candidates for employment, assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of
002specific public officers, appointees, or employees of any public body. and evaluation of performance of departments or schools of public institutions of higher education, where such evaluation will necessarily involve discussion of the performance of specific individuals. Two, discussion or consideration of admission or disciplinary matters or any other matters that would involve the disclosure of information contained in a scholastic record concerning any student of any public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth or any state school system. 3. Discussion or consideration of the acquisition of real property for a public purpose or for the disposition of publicly held real property where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body. 7. Consultation with legal counsel on briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation
003where such consultation or briefing in an open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body. For the purposes of this subdivision, probable litigation means litigation that has been specifically threatened or on which the public body or its legal counsel has a reasonable basis to believe will be commenced by or against a known party. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to permit the closure of a meeting merely because an attorney representing the public body is in attendance or is consulted on a matter. Eight, consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. Nothing in this subdivision which shall be construed to permit the closure of a meeting merely because an attorney representing the public body
004is in attendance or has consulted on a matter. Namely, to discuss, A, amendment of the superintendent's contract. B, deliberation on student discrimination complaint appeal. C, deliberation on request to reimburse employees for legal fees. D, status of pending litigation or administrative cases. E, consultation with legal counsel regarding probable litigation and pending litigation matters. And F, discussion with legal counsel regarding Jericho Road properties. Moved by Vice Chair Weems. Is there a second? Seconded by Mr. Callan. Any discussion? Seeing none, I call for the vote to go into closed session. You can turn your microphone on and tell her how you vote. Okay, Ms. Felton, how do you vote? And Mr. Bowen, still how do you vote? Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair. We have nine ayes, so the motion to pass to go into closed session. Thank you.
005As the school board of the city of Virginia Beach has convened a closed meeting on this day pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. And whereas Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by this school board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the school board of the City of Virginia Beach hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which the certification applies, and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard, discussed, or considered. Okay. Is there
006a motion? Moved by Ms. Dwyer, seconded by Mr. Callen. Any discussion? Seeing none I call for the votes to certify closed session and mr. Bowman still how do you vote? So madam chair, we have nine eyes the motion to pass for certification of closed session. Okay. Thank you. And I understand mr. Culpepper is online. Yes. And for the record, mr Culpepper is attending via zoom and Mr. Culpepper for the record. Can you explain why you're attending by zoom in your location? In Kentucky for personal business Thank you okay rose whereas on march 13 2025 the parents of a plaza middle school student filed a complaint alleging discrimination harassment retaliation regarding a student discipline investigation conducted by a staff member on october 25 2024 And whereas on April 8th, 2025, the school administration issued an investigation
007report regarding the parents' complaint and concluded there was not sufficient evidence to support a finding of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. And whereas on June 4th, 2025, a hearing officer conducted an appeal hearing regarding the investigation report. and the parents' objections to the investigation report, and whereas on June 26, 2025, the hearing officer issued conclusions and recommendations, and whereas on August 12, 2025, the school board deliberated on June 26, 2025, hearing officers' conclusions and recommendations, the transcript, and the exhibits from the June 4, 2025 hearing. And now... Therefore, it is determined that the June 26, 2025 hearing officers report of conclusions and recommendations determination is upheld, that the school administration is ordered to notify the parents and student of this decision and to place a copy of this decision supporting documentation and any recording of the
008hearing in the student's official files. adopted by the school board of the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia, this 12th day of August 2025. Okay, and I just want to confirm that's a motion, correct? Correct. Thank you. Moved by Ms. Dwyer, seconded by Vice Chair Weems. Any discussion? Seeing none, I call for the vote on the resolution that was just read by Ms. Dwyer. Mr. Bowen-Steele, how do you vote? And Mr. Culpepper, are you voting on the resolution? No, I'll abstain. Thank you, Madam Chair. We have nine ayes and one abstention, so the motion did pass. Thank you. Mr. Bowen, still you have a motion? Whereas on December 18, 2023, a BBCPS site-assigned substitute was charged with assault and battery of a minor student related to an incident at school. and whereas that the site-assigned substitute
009was found not guilty by the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on June 3, 2024, and the charge was later expunged from the site-assigned substitute's criminal record by the Virginia Beach Circuit Court on March 20, 2025, and whereas the site-assigned substitute and her attorney are seeking payment of legal fees in accordance with Policy 259. the amount of four thousand and twelve dollars in fees and costs incurred in defending this charge and having her criminal record and sponged and whereas a superintendent recommends that the school board payment of the legal fees and whereas school board policy 259 allows a school board to pay an employees legal fees incurred as a result of a lawsuit filed against the employee in their official capacity and provided that the lawsuit is later dismissed against the employee Now
010therefore be it resolved that the school board authorizes payment of the employees legal fees and costs in the amount of four thousand and twelve dollars with one two thousand dollar payment directly to the employee as reimbursement for payment made and second payment in the amount of 2012 to her attorney for legal fees not yet paid and further resolved that the Clerk is directed to send a copy of the resolution to the site assigned substitute, the site assigned substitute's attorney, the school board attorney, the chief financial officer, the director of business services, and the chief human resources officer who is directed to place a copy of this resolution in the employee's personal file. adopted by the school board on the city of Virginia Beach this 12th day of August. Thank you. Can you confirm that was
011a motion? Yes. Thank you. Moved by Mr. Bowen-Steele, seconded by Vice Chair Weems. Any discussion? Seeing none, I call for the vote on the resolution Mr. Bowen-Steele just read. Mr. Bowen-Steele, how do you vote? And Mr. Culpepper, how do you vote? Thank you, Madam Chair. We have nine ayes and one abstention, so the motion did pass. Thank you. Mr. Cummings? I make the following motion, whereas October 16th, 2024, a VBCPS principal was charged with assault and battery of a minor student related to an incident at school, and whereas the charge against the principal was dismissed by the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court on February 4th. February 13, 2025, and the charges later expunged from the principal's criminal record by the Virginia Beach Circuit Court on April 16, 2025, and whereas the principal
012and her attorney are seeking payment of legal fees in accordance with the policy 259 in the amount of $1,512 in fees and costs incurred in defending this charge and having her criminal record expunged, and whereas the superintendent recommends payment of the legal fees, and whereas the school board policy 2-59 allows the school board to pay an employee's legal fees incurred as a result of a lawsuit filed against the employee in their official capacity. and provided that the lawsuit is later dismissed against the employee. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the school board authorizes payment of the employee's legal fees and costs in the amount of $1,512, and further resolved that the clerk is directed to send a copy of this resolution to the principal, the principal's attorney, the school board attorney, the chief financial officer,
013the director of business services, and the chief human. Resource officer who is directed to place a copy of this resolution in the employees personal file Adopted by the school board of the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia this 12th day of August 2025 Moved by mr. Cummings seconded by vice chair Wiens any discussion Seeing none I call for the votes to approve the resolution as read by mr. Cummings Mr. Bowen still how do you vote and mr. Culpepper? How do you vote? I abstain Thank you madam chair we have nine eyes and one abstention the motion did pass okay, and Mr.. Callan I moved at the school board accept the amendment number two to the superintendent's contract as presented to the school board on August 12 2025 lived by mr. Callan seconded by vice chair Weems
014any discussion miss Rogers So I was not here during the last discussion, but During the pandemic, my husband still works for a company, and the employees were all worried about losing their jobs. And at that time, because finances were very difficult, the executive team decided to forego any of their bonuses and raises for that year in order to ensure that their employees had what they needed. And there comes a time when I believe that leadership calls for leading the way. We did not give our teaching staff the raises that they needed this year, so much so that they will wind up being 7 out of 7 once again, and coupled with the increase in benefits, many of them will be losing money this year. Because of that, while I do believe that Dr. Robertson is
015doing a good job, I can't support an amendment to his contract at this time. Dr. Green? Thank you. And I want to make also indication that, Dr. Robertson, my vote is not a reflection on your leadership. You have done a great job. My concern is based on the many calls, heart-wrenching that I have received that I have already shared with my colleagues from some of our paraprofessional staff regarding our health benefits, the cost, especially for some of our custodians, bus drivers. And for me, it's about the optics, but I do want to... go on record to say that you are doing a phenomenal job running our school division. All right. Thank you. With that, I call for the vote to accept Amendment No. 2 to the superintendent. Madam Chair, I have my hand up. Oh,
016you did? Oh, okay. I know it's hard to see there. Oh, I couldn't see. Yeah. Go ahead. Just to add a quick question, since I wasn't in the closed session here today, is the contract that you're... adopting here today the same contract that was previously briefed to the school board yes thank you with that I call for the votes to accept amendment number two to the superintendent's contract as presented the school board on 8 12 2025 mr. Bowen still how do you vote yes and mr. Culpepper how do you vote yes thank you madam chair we have six eyes and four knees so the motion did pass Thank you, and that brings us on to the administrative matters and reports. We have quite a few as we're getting ready to go into the school year.
017The first one is the August and September sign-up sheets for one-to-one and September school visits. The other one is, and I just want to have a quick conversation, head nods or whatever, but now that we've all been elected in districts, we've been doing the adopted schools, and initially that was intended to ensure that each school was visited and divide the work amongst school board members. So I want to, before we send this around, to ensure that we want to continue doing the round robin. Of course, every board member has the rights to visit any school. But I want to ensure that board members are wanting to do round robin versus in our district or whatever before we do so. So your round robin. What do you think? Are you asking, like, you sign up for
0188 or 9, or are you asking would we rather just visit the schools in our district? I am asking, yes, if you'd rather just visit the schools in your district or if you want to sign up for the 8 or 9. And I know one board member that is not here right now prefers the round robin. So just to make sure that we're including everybody. Does anybody have any thoughts, or do we want to continue as we have? Looks like we have good mr. Cummings my preference is I mean my goals are to visit as many schools as possible obviously But I do prefer you know district to sign I think you know having a relationship with my folks in my district I get to hear the unique stories the unique aspects and more importantly
019I think administrators know who exactly to go to we get to see the you know prioritize the schools in our time within our community, PTA events, and so that's kind of where I lean into. Obviously, that's not a limit. I look forward to visiting many, many schools, but I do lean in towards the ones for my district. Thanks, Chair Weems. I agree with Mr. Cummings, and it's not to limit because, of course, you may sign up and go to any school, as evident by Mr. Bowen still going to all 85 of them. 86 of them. I'm sorry. He's going to only do 85. I feel sorry for the one. Okay. So anyway, so we may sign up. I just think by district, like Mr. Cummings said, this is kind of relatively new that we were
020assigned and voted on as district, so it's nice to be able to just run to their... trunk or treat at the last minute because they're only two minutes away or run to the PTA or run to the play. And so when I see the list, I'm going to automatically look for my district ones first just because I lean into that. But then I'm going to visit other ones as well. So for that, I think it's unique to get to really know your district and the administrators and the parents and families that live right next door. Ms. Felton. Being that I am an at-large member of the school board, so that put me in a particular way. So I will be visiting all schools as possible this time around. Thank you so much. So do you
021have an opinion about how we do adopted schools? I don't. I do like the idea that I can tell my constituents and call who is my representative. I like saying that I like doing that and they're reaching out so it does make a difference when we say what district we're in and how we visit those schools. So I do like the idea that they're doing it by districts. Okay. Ms. Rogers? My only comment, obviously I agree with everyone about having the schools in your district. However, I don't think that we have an even... amount of schools in each district. So some people might have well over what we would evenly split. So this is why I am okay with Ron Robin and then we just pick our districts or what's closest. But if you run
022out of schools, you can then pick what's closest to your district or not. That was just so that we have an... I wouldn't want to overburden one person unnecessarily is my only concern. Okay. Mr. Ballastill? I can, you know, go either way on it. I do want to say that when I visited schools that were adopted schools out of my district, that the principal and whoever else was very excited about it because they thought it was cool that they had an adopted school and they were, like, looking forward to the school board members coming. That's my only, you know, comment on it. But whatever the board wants, I'm happy with. Yeah, and it would still be an adopted school. I mean, you can go to any school that you want, and I don't know if
023Dr. Robertson has anything that he wants to weigh in on that. But I also feel like we're in districts now, and so my struggle isn't that I have a problem going to other schools, but my struggle is that I am going to personally go to those in District 10. First and when it was initially designed my concern is that We may have some schools that are adopted that don't end up getting visited because now somebody's in that district going to assume somebody else is visiting it when and so like I think that that has the Opportunity to create some confusion, but we're in districts right now We've had an entire election and so that's kind of my thoughts, but it seems to me we have one two three four that are fine with it being
024in districts. And, I'm sorry, two could go either way. And so, Dr. Robertson, do you have any thoughts? This port has visited more schools in one year. the previous five boards put together so I'm confident that this board is going to visit all of our schools so whatever you decide to do is appropriate just know you're welcome to visit our schools and the principals and teachers do appreciate it Can we do a straw poll really quick, guys? Because this is not a policy. This is a practice. And so if you want to do round robin, if you could raise your hand if you want to continue with round robin. And if you want to do the schools in your district, raise your hand. Okay, so we're going to do the ones in the district. I
025have these. By district, because I asked the clerk to prepare this for us because I wanted to be sure. And so in district will be the list of schools. And, of course, you can visit any school that you want. And, Dr. Robertson, you had one quick thing to add, correct? Yes. In your packet is a draft of my 2025-2026. Goals that's part of the evaluation process So I'm giving that to you now even though you you're not going to review and vote on those until September the 9th So you have the next four weeks as you look through those draft goals if you have any questions about those goals please let me know, and I'll be happy to have a conversation with you about them. If there are goals missing that the collective board would
026like to see, we can certainly add those. This is a starting place. Thank you. And then the last thing I have is I am going to ask that we add for discussion tonight to the agenda the health insurance because I think that the community needs a few answers. If my colleagues are okay with that, we'll add that to the information portion. Does anyone else have anything to report? Administrative. Ms. Rogers. One second. Let's get my computer up. I just wanted to report. I just want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the following recognitions and celebrations within our community. In the month of July, the community celebrated Independence Day on July 4th to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On July 4th, 1776, to establish the United States of America, the community also celebrated
027National Disability Independence Day on July 26th to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, which is a landmark civil rights law to prohibit discrimination based on disability. In the month of August, the community will recognize National Civility Month to promote kindness, respect, and courtesy in all interactions, both personal and professional. This month encourages individuals to reflect on how they demonstrate these values in their daily lives. The community celebrated International Day of the World's Indigenous People on August 9th. The day raises awareness and protects the rights of the world's indigenous population. This day also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve the world issues like environmental protection. The community will further celebrate. World Humanitarian Day on August 19th, which is dedicated to recognize humanitarian personnel and those who
028have died working for humanitarian causes. And finally, the community will be celebrating Women's Equality Day to commemorate the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits state and federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. Thank you. We will now have a presentation on our summer programming review, and we welcome Thomas Quinn, Executive Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning. Good evening, Chair Brown, Vice Chair Weems, school board members, Dr. Robertson. My name is Tom Quinn, the Executive Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning. I'm joined by a wonderful team who developed and supported a variety of summer learning opportunities for our students. Joining me is Dr. Kelly from Elementary, Mrs. Dave from Student Support Services, Mr. Jameson, Ms. Meggs, Ms. Silverman for Title
029I, and Dr. Myers-Daw from OPEC. I want to extend a special thank you to our vision coordinators, specialists, administrators, counselors, teachers, custodians, transportation, food services, nurses, security, and teacher assistants, as we all work in partnership to offer a robust variety of pre-K-12 summer learning experiences. This evening, we are here to share an update and summary of the 2025 summer learning opportunities we provided. As a reminder, this slide was shared with you previously to highlight the opportunities provided this summer. I will give you a brief moment to review the list. As you recall, all students who were enrolled in Pre-K through 5 and secondary students taking select courses had access to boost opportunities over the summer. We are pleased to report at the elementary level, we had over 600 launches completed. Information regarding secondary boost opportunities
030will be shared with the secondary information later in this presentation. This year's summer learning camps were held at select sites, which included 13 Title I elementary schools and 15 additional elementary schools for a total of 28 sites. Students were in school for four and a half hours and engaged in literacy and numeracy instruction with a focus on inquiry, integration, and STEM. Schools who did not implement summer learning camps provided learning activities designed to serve their student populations using the all-in tutoring funds. Summer learning camp was funded through the online grant and title one funds. We are pleased to continue providing this opportunity this summer. On the next slide, we will share attendance information to demonstrate the number of students supported by this opportunity. On this slide, you will see the attendance average for students over
031the 15 instructional days. We are pleased to share that students enrolled attended 73% or more of the camp, which equates to 2,057 students served across 28 sites. In addition to the opportunities shared in the previous slide, we would like to highlight experiences offered in schools receiving Title I funds. Current 4th and or 5th grade students attending Title I schools have the opportunity to attend STEM camps where meaningful STEM exploration and learning were facilitated. These experiences were held three hours daily immediately following Summer Learning Camp in July, and we are proud to share that 161 students attended these STEM camps. In collaboration with the United Way of Hampton Roads, six Title I schools offered learning camps for students kindergarten through third grade. The purpose of these camps were to provide students with enrichment experiences that supported
032literacy, numeracy, and science in STEM learning. These sessions were also held for three hours daily, immediately following summer learning camp in July. This program boasted an attendance of more than 225 students who attended 11 or more days. And also, as you remember, in the summer of 2024, we piloted what became a fan favorite, better known as Ready, Set, Kindergarten, in three of our Title I schools. This summer, we expanded the program to six Title I schools, which began yesterday and concludes this Thursday. This amazing opportunity is designed to offer students with little to no pre-K experience a soft opening to kindergarten. To date, we've welcomed over 70 students, and according to parents and guardians of those who attended yesterday and today, they said their kids have never slept so soundly, exhausted from all the excitement
033and engagement created by our amazing teachers and their assistance. Some of our students with disabilities received extended school year services, which are the individualized extension of specific special education and related services provided beyond the typical school year. Recall that consideration for ESY services is part of the IEP process. For the summer of 2025, there were eight elementary and one high school ESY cluster site, which served both middle and high school students. Students served through CSEP for ESY were served at one of the elementary sites as well as the Renaissance Academy. This summer, we are proud to provide ESY services to a total of 1,292 students, which marks an increase of 25 over last year. We now shift to the secondary summer learning opportunities to recap what was available this summer. Secondary summer school learning opportunities
034included middle and high school students who needed to repeat a course for promotion. Students, recall, attended one in-person session from Monday, July 7th through July 30th. Students who desired to take a course for the first time over the summer were able to use the Virginia Beach Digital Campus, also known as VBDC, and the course session occurred from Tuesday, June 17th through Tuesday, August 5th. This slide displays academic performance outcomes for secondary summer school. The chart notes student performance for the repeat face-to-face courses offered for the 2025 secondary summer school program, with the data representing both middle and high school. This chart also indicates overall enrollment for middle school and high school, which includes step-up and fast-track offerings. I'll give you a moment to review the data. On this slide, you will see the enrollment for
035students participating in the step-up and boost opportunities. To date, 804 students have enrolled in the asynchronous boost opportunities, and 61 students attended the step-up offerings, totaling 865 students. Boosts continue to be available through the end of this week. This slide represents information related to students who took the course for the first time through the Virginia Beach Digital Campus. Students who participated were either striving to create an opportunity in their schedule or to stay on track for on-time graduation. On the screen, you will notice we experienced a total of 1,830 registrations. Of those registrations, 1,782 students completed the course with a passing grade. We'll give you a moment to review the data on the screen. This summer, we are proud to announce an estimated additional 80 candidates who met the requirements for graduation. These resilient summer
036graduates will be celebrated during a collective ceremony for all high schools on Thursday, August 14th at the Convention Center, beginning sharply at 6 p.m. As we begin to conclude, we want to say thank you one more time to our teachers, custodians, transportation services, food services, nurses, security, teacher assistants, division coordinators, specialists, administrators, and counselors. Because of the collaborative partnership, we are proud to share these amazing learning experiences impacted more than 6,000 students this summer. At this time, we'll share a brief video to highlight some of our summer programming experiences. Finally, I want to say thank you to our school board for your support of these programs. This concludes our summer program review. This time, my colleagues and I are available for any questions you may have. Ms. Rogers? Thank you so much for the presentation,
037and I just really wanted to reiterate how grateful we are to our staff, everyone who is involved in summer programming. It is so, so important for our community to have that support for their students, and I truly believe we wouldn't have the success that we have with our student population if we didn't have a strong summer program to have those students who are struggling be able to use their time to be able to catch up. And so I really, really appreciate all of the hard work that everyone has put into this. Thank you. I don't see any further discussion, but thank you. And I just wanted to say that I'm really excited about Ready Start Kindergarten and how we have expanded upon that. So I'm really happy to hear us perhaps be able to expand
038that more in the future at some point. So thank you. You're welcome. Thank you. We are now on to our summer staffing update and we welcome Amy Church director of employment services and Dr. James Avila, did I say your name right? Avila? Avila, thank you. Coordinator of recruitment and retention. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Brown, Vice Chair Weems, members of the school board, and Dr. Robertson. On behalf of Dr. Darnita Trotman, Chief Human Resources Officer in the Human Resources Department, my name is Amy Church, Director of Employment Services, and I'm joined today by Dr. James Avila, Coordinator of Recruitment and Retention, and Kelly Knight, Marketing Specialist. We are appreciative of the opportunity to be with you this evening to share an update on the Department of Human Resources summer staffing updates. At this time, I
039will turn the presentation over to Dr. Avila. Thank you. Good afternoon. Our agenda for today's presentation includes critical shortages in the teaching workforce, particularly the decline in enrollment in teacher preparation programs, staffing updates, and an overview of strategic hiring and retention initiatives. The Department of Human Resources, in collaboration with hiring managers, remains committed to the Division's strategic framework, Compass to 2030. This commitment is evident in our ongoing efforts to recruit and hire highly qualified staff to support and enhance the work of our schools across the division. Hilary Weathing's article, Today's Teacher Shortage is Just the Tip of the Iceberg, highlights the growing challenges schools face in hiring and keeping teachers. She notes a rising number of educators are leaving the profession, creating instability that affects students the most. The author argues that increasing teacher pay
040is key to attracting and retaining talent. Shortages can mean larger class sizes, higher teacher stress, and wider learning gaps, especially in schools already facing difficulties. At its heart, this is about ensuring every student has access to a dedicated teacher. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Education reported a slight increase in enrollment figures for teacher preparation programs after a period of decline, with a notable shift towards non-institution of higher education-based alternative programs. In Virginia, 8,700 individuals were admitted to teacher preparation programs, including both traditional and alternative routes. By the end of the year, only 3,135 had completed the requirements to become licensed teachers. With 134 school divisions statewide, that results in an average of just 23 fully licensed candidates per division, assuming every completer enters the classroom. This gap between enrollment and completion shows the growing
041pressure on the teacher pipeline and the urgent need for future educators. One key factor in attracting and retaining talented staff is offering competitive compensation. This year, eligible full-time employees on the instructional pay scale received a 4.5% salary increase. In addition, a one-time $650 bonus was awarded to all eligible instructional employees. We are deeply grateful to the school board for continued advocacy and for advocating and approving these increases in support of our educators. As shown, Virginia Beach City Public Schools currently ranks seventh out of seven local school divisions in starting teacher pay. While the gap is gradually closing, there remains a $4,877 difference between our entry-level instructional salaries and those offered by Portsmouth Public Schools. This disparity may be a contributing factor in the employment decisions of prospective first-year teachers. As we continue to explore teacher
042retention, three key factors consistently emerge. Salary and benefits, professional demands, and staff recognition. Competitive pay is essential, not only to attract new educators, but also to retain experienced teachers who are critical to students' success. At the same time, increasing demands both inside and outside the classroom can negatively impact teacher well-being and job satisfaction. Recognition also plays a vital role. When teachers feel valued and appreciated, it helps foster a positive work culture and strengthens their connection to the profession. Supporting educators in these areas is essential to building a strong, stable, and committed workforce. Let's begin today by looking at the big picture, our current staffing status, and where we stand today by examining critical shortage areas for the 25-26 school year, recent progress in initiatives, and next steps to continue building a strong, stable workforce. For
043the 25-26 school year, the Virginia Department of Education has identified the top 10 critical shortage areas where licensed teachers are most needed. As you can see, special education remains the highest need area. These critical shortage areas represent key opportunities for recruitment, alternative licensure pathways, and targeted support, particularly for individuals seeking to transition into the teaching profession or expand their existing certifications. Now, let's look at the current vacancies within Virginia Beach City Public Schools. As of August 4th, there are 57 full-time instructional vacancies. Of this number, 31 are classroom vacancies. A classroom vacancy refers to the absence of a full-time teacher of record who is directly responsible for supporting students. At this time last year, we had a total of 53 classroom vacancies. Within the instructional vacancies, we are actively searching to fill 17 special education
044positions, mirroring the state's critical need to hire special education teachers. Our sincere thanks goes to principals and hiring managers who have worked diligently to fill these positions with exceptional teachers. In addition, we are working to fill 115 non-instructional hard-to-staff vacancies, which include school bus assistants, cafeteria assistants, and custodians. The Department of Human Resources remains committed to working collaboratively with our departments and offices to identify and fill these hard-to-staff positions. As a result of the collaborative efforts of our dedicated school administrators, division leaders, and human resource staffing specialists, we have successfully hired 544 new instructional and non-instructional employees. This achievement demonstrates our dedication to our core value of putting students first. As we continue to navigate a highly competitive labor market, our ability to attract top talent is critical. To walk us through this update, I'd
045like to introduce Ms. Kelly Knight, our marketing specialist, who will share the strategies, campaigns, and data behind our recruitment and marketing efforts. Thank you, Dr. Avila. I'm pleased to provide an update on how our marketing and communication strategies are supporting recruitment and retention. I'll highlight a few of our recent campaigns and performance metrics to walk you through how we're telling our story as an employer of choice. Let's begin with an overview of channels and tactics we're using to connect with future members of the BB Schools team. As the competition for talent intensifies, especially in education, how we tell our story becomes even more important. Strategic marketing allows us to do more than just advertise jobs. It helps us build a compelling narrative about who we are and why VB Schools is a great place to
046work. Each channel plays a unique role. Social media helps us connect with audiences of various backgrounds, depending on platform, and amplifies staff voices and division stories. Events and promotions allow for personal engagement and relationship building. We hope you discuss opportunities with our HR staff when you see us at the next hiring fair or community event. Outdoor signage increases visibility in the community. Wave to our distribution services team members the next time you see one of our VB schools wrapped fans. Television, radio, and digital ads extend our reach. Together, these efforts help promote... help prospective employees see themselves here. One key focus item last school year was maintaining brand consistency. We sought to ensure our materials used a consistent color story, voice, and message. Shape futures, grow yours with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. This reinforces
047professionalism and makes our communications instantly recognizable, whether it's a job ad on LinkedIn, a flyer at a graduation, or a hiring ad on television. Let's take a closer look at a couple of our recent campaigns. The Share Your Why campaign invites staff to share what motivates them to work in education. These authentic stories help humanize our workforce and inspire others to consider a career with us. Our Veteran and Federal Employee Outreach Campaign launched this past spring, targeting individuals with valuable experience who may be looking for a meaningful second career. The Share Your Why campaign has been impactful. As of June 30, we've seen over 22,000 views on Facebook, nearly 24,000 on Instagram. And numbers only tell part of the story. What's been especially powerful is the way these stories have resonated with our community. We've
048received heartfelt comments from family, friends, and community members, people who see themselves in these stories, echo the passion shared, or feel proud to know someone featured. And they are sharing this with their networks. That kind of organic engagement expands our reach far beyond paid promotion alone. It reinforces our message and builds trust in our brand. Our Veteran and Federal Employee Outreach Campaign launched in April and focuses on attracting veterans, federal employees, and government contractors. This campaign uses social media, targeted emails, digital flyers, over-the-air radio, and special placements during graduation events. Messaging emphasizes the value VB Schools places on veteran and federal employee experience and the impact we know such experience has within our division. About to Play is a 30-second radio ad that ran in April. Looking for a rewarding career where you can make
049a difference? Virginia Beach City Public Schools is hiring. We offer competitive pay, great health and retirement benefits, and the chance to shape young lives every day. Whether you're an experienced professional, a recent graduate, or considering a career change, there's a place for you at VBCPS. And if you're a veteran or federal employee, your leadership, service, and problem-solving skills make you a perfect fit for our school division. Apply today at vbschools.com slash careers. Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Shape future. grow yours. Like Share Your Why, this is a continuing marketing priority. Other veterans and former federal employees amongst our VB schools staff will be featured. One of our greatest strengths is our large and engaged network across digital platforms. Compared to nearby divisions, VB schools has a significantly larger and more engaged social media following across
050Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This gives us a built-in advantage. Even without heavy ad spending, our messages reach more people more often. It also means that every campaign we launch and every story we share has the potential to make a bigger impact. And our audience isn't just large. It's active, supportive, and invested in our success. And that's a powerful asset in today's competitive hiring landscape. To build on that point, here's a snapshot of our profile views and account reach across a few of our platforms. On Facebook, we reached over 2.6 million accounts during the 2024-25 school year and had more than 280,000 profile visits. Instagram continues to grow with over 245,000 accounts reached and nearly 90,000 profile visits. On LinkedIn, we've surpassed 14.6 thousand followers and are seeing strong engagement from professionals within our division, as
051well as those exploring our job opportunities. And on YouTube, our videos have been viewed more than 130 thousand times in the last year, helping us tell our story in dynamic, visual ways. These numbers show that our audience isn't just large again, it's active. People are clicking, watching, and engaging with our content. In addition to posting organic content, we run strategic digital ads on LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and more. These ads target different employee groups based on staffing needs, upcoming events, and active campaigns. Each is designed to align with our brand style for consistency and professionalism. This summer, we're launching our new VBCPS recruitment ads. We'll publish ads across both organic and paid channels, including digital streaming platforms. And for you, we have a special premiere of these ads. Our four 15-second ads have been compiled into
052one file and will play successively. Are you ready to make an impact? At Virginia Beach City Public Schools, you'll inspire young minds, support your community, and thrive. Apply today at vbschools.com slash careers. It takes a dedicated team to support student success. Every role makes a difference. Join Virginia Beach City Public Schools and be part of something bigger. Apply today at vbschools.com slash careers. Innovation, leadership, and support. Behind every great school system are dedicated professionals. Grow your career with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Apply today at vbschools.com slash careers. Every role helps our students reach their full potential. Join Virginia Beach City Public Schools and make an impact in the classroom and beyond. Apply today at vbschools.com slash careers. As you can see, these strategies support our recruitment and retention programs, which will be presented by
053Dr. Avila. Thank you, Ms. Knight, for highlighting our efforts to build a strong and stable workforce. Virginia Beach City Public Schools offers a comprehensive range of programs focused on recruiting and retaining high-quality educators. To attract aspiring educators, we participate in job fairs and host events such as the VBCPS Educator Hiring Expo and Support Staff Hiring Expo. At the high school level, the Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow program introduces students to the teaching profession and offers a pathway to employment through the Future Teachers Award. In addition to traditional recruitment efforts, we maintain a strong presence at community events, including the back-to-school care fair, academy night, and graduation. To retain our workforce, the Division provides financial incentives, partnerships, and professional development opportunities. Financial incentives include grants and tuition reimbursement for all staff, supporting further education and development. Teachers
054may earn special allowances for earning both their National Board certification and career teacher status, encouraging long-term growth. We maintain strong partnerships with local colleges and universities, as well as with the Virginia Department of Education-approved licensure programs like iTeach, which provides flexible and affordable pathways to teacher licensure. Discount opportunities from community partnerships assist staff with child care and offer drop-in services. Professional development includes mentorship, coaching, practice exam assistance, and leadership academies, all of which prepare for growth opportunities within the division. Our comprehensive approach is dedicated to supporting every aspect of our employees' professional journeys to create a thriving, positive, and productive work environment. As we conclude our summer staffing update, rest assured that we will continue our efforts to ensure schools are ready to welcome students on the first day. We thank you for following VBCPS's
055social media posts and sharing the excellent opportunities VBCPS provides to our students. Please feel free to scan the QR code to learn more about employment opportunities. The Department of Human Resources staff is available to answer any questions you may have at this time. Thank you. Ms. Felton. Thank you, Chair Brown. Dr. Avalon and your staff, I am really impressed with what I saw. As far as advertisement is concerned, I'm loving it. When I saw the other schools coming on the pay station, I said, oh, it's not all that. You're much better than that. So I'm glad to see that we are out there doing what we are doing. I do have a couple of questions. You said all paid stations. That means 13, 3, 10, all those. We're on all paid stations. So some are
056paid, some are not. We get certain media alerts and press releases that can go out. We don't have paid ads placed yet. Okay, cool. Great. I was sort of kind of leaning into Ms. Liva's ear or talking to her concerning it as well. So I just want to put that out there. So I'd like to ask you, are we using all of the campus like NSU, ODU, using their radio stations as well? NSU, ODU, W-H-R-O? We are not. currently advertising on their radio stations. However, we do have active partnerships with those campuses for recruitment. Well, I hope I'm not throwing you under the bus. I had the opportunity to speak on NSU radio station during Black History Month, and I did put us out there. I said it right over the airway. So I'm recruiting
057as I move along. I mean, that's just me. I love what you're doing here. Are we advertising, are we still attending Teachers of Color Summit, VSBA, and are we getting recruitment's return yet from our Future Teachers program? We don't have exact numbers available from all of those different partnerships. However, I can share that we do hire from the Virginia Teacher for Tomorrow program. We have future teacher award winners each year that we welcome back to become full-time teachers in our division. As far as recruitment efforts, we do attend. certain job fairs, conferences, and summits to recruit. The ones specifically you mentioned, we can compile that data and get that information back to you. Thank you so much. I want you to know why I'm out and I run into our retired teachers. I am inviting
058them back constantly. I say, take a hiatus. but we want you to come back to think about it. And as I taught this, you know, I never thought about that. I don't want to do that. So I am doing that as well. In-house, our TAs that we have, are we investing in them? Are we talking to them, escalating and getting them to that point to come back and do further work, our teacher's assistants? How are we working that program? So we are very invested in our teaching assistants. We encourage them to enroll in alternative pathways to teaching, as well as we capitalize and work with teacher assistants that already have undergraduate degrees. We work with partnerships with universities through grant-funded programs and other programs that offer... Tuition assistance and in some cases the tuition is
059actually free for those teacher assistants to continue their work with us while earning their teaching license certification And then they are guaranteed employment if they once they fulfill those programs they come back and work for us I do know of two of our future teachers there at the intern of their coming out and and I want to make sure that they get that opportunity. How is that process? Is it hard for them because I know one said she had a problem in reaching out and connecting here. How is that process once they get to the end of their program in college? How is that done? Do they have that information when they leave or do they have to call back and be recruited? How is that done? We actually have a newer database that we
060are working with our Virginia teachers for tomorrow's and future teacher award winners so we are and I will say it is a newer system, but we are Have acknowledged that we need to do a better job in initiating that reach out to our award winners and so under the direction of our new coordinator of recruitment and retention He is going to be actively reaching out in their, actually starting in their third year of college so that we can, because we know that they sometimes graduate early and we don't want them to miss out on that opportunity to join us. Should I have gone over my time yet? No, no, but just to be cognizant, we do have four people in line in seven minutes. I'll lean back and let my colleagues go. I just had
061two more questions, but I'm good. We have Ms. Rogers, followed by Vice Chair Weems, followed by Mr. Bowen-Steele. Okay, I'll try and go as quickly as possible with seven minutes. The first thing I wanted to just say, my concern was, is that we have 51 cafeteria assistance spots open. Dr. Robertson, are we still only putting like one cafeteria assistant in each cafeteria? Yeah, I can't answer that. I didn't know if you could. I can't speak to the number of cafeteria systems that we have, but we'll be ready to serve kids on the first day. Okay, that was my main concern. It's not an early, this is not a new challenge. We continue to work on it, and we've been working with the vacancies that we do have to make sure that our kids are getting
062the best meals that they can get. Right, and that was my main concern. I know in the elementary schools we usually only can get one person, and so if we have 50 schools without it, it makes me quite concerned. Can I give you one more piece to make you feel better? Yeah. Our central support staff are in those kitchens on a regular basis where we see those challenges to make sure that they get what they need. Okie doke. Can you, any of the lovely colleagues up here, can any of you guys tell me more about how you were doing college recruitment at the school level with the partners that we have? So we can share that we have partnerships with colleges where we're working with teacher assistants and other long-term substitutes who already have undergraduate
063degrees for licensure to help them become full-time teachers. But we also recruit at all of the Virginia colleges and universities with all teacher prep programs. We do have... understandings with all of the universities, or I shouldn't say all, but we have understandings and agreements with many of our Virginia universities where we invite them to student teach or become counseling interns with us and then heavily recruit all of our student teachers for full-time employment. Okay, that was just, you know, one of my concerns. Guess curiosities as how we were doing I don't know if y'all are aware, but it's my understanding that a lot of the early childhood college programs are Not going to be offered so that might be a concern to think about in the future especially when we're looking for pre-k teachers kindergarten
064teachers first grade teachers that that You know education for developmentally appropriate practices is going away of on many of our college campuses And that is a concern of mine. I do have that degree myself um How many of our full-time teachers are temporary hires do we know? We may need additional clarification on that question, but we'd be happy to compile the information and get that back to you. No worries. And then how many students each year get the Future Teacher Award? My daughter's about to enter that program, and she was telling me not everyone gets it, so I'm just curious how that all works. We don't have an exact number. Any successful completer of the program is extended that award to use to come back. So as long as you complete the Future Teachers or
065Teachers for Tomorrow program, you are awarded the two-year contract, correct? It's my understanding that the award... has changed in how it is distributed over the years, but most recently and this past school year, all successful completers were awarded the Future Teacher Award. So it's not a guarantee, but that's, it's, okay. I understand, because again, it's confusing when you have a 16-year-old telling you something like that. All right, and then my last question, I guess, is how many staff have we gained directly from social media? Do we have any? idea on that one because I know the other reason I'm asking is that I our social media traffic is great however we also have the biggest school division and like as a parent I was following Virginia Beach schools long before I got this job and
066so like I am included in that number and I'm sure many other parents are so I'm just wondering what our numbers are as far as how that social media plays with specifically our recruitment so I wouldn't be able to speak directly to like engagement to hire, but I could pull the data based on follows from certain posts. So if we have, of course, a hiring post and someone's followed us from that post, that's something that I can kind of track down and get information on if that's something. Okay. All right. Thanks so much. Okay, Vice Chair Weems. Thank you, and thank you for such a good, robust marketing plan. I really like the share your why. I really like that. So we hired 544 new employees. Yesterday, several of us attended the new teacher event
067at Green Run. So that seems pretty good. Is that typical? Is that pretty much typical every year, around 500? We are doing. Our data shows we're somewhat better than the previous year. And again, we could provide those specifics to you. Knowing that the data poll that we shared today is from August 4th, we have been diligently working to continue those hiring efforts. So our numbers have even increased since then. Yeah, and they will continue to increase, I'm sure. Okay, so how, and I know you don't have this now, but I would love to have this. How many of our employees left Virginia Beach school system to go to Portsmouth, Norfolk, or Suffolk last year? So based on our exit data and our reports, I can tell you that at least 18 have left for other
068school divisions. Eighteen. Eighteen. One-eighth. One-eighth. But many more have come back. Okay, because we get this story out there that they're leaving in droves, that Virginia Beach teachers are leaving to go to these other school systems, and I'm hearing that 544 just chose us. Correct. Okay, and I'm thinking that we're going to hit the 600 mark here not too late. Okay, that's excellent news because I know we have a great school system, and not only we do need to up the pay, but... We kind of have a top half and a bottom half. I'm not saying we have to be number one and everything, but that's very good information. 18, very good. And I think that we also offer so many great resources that I don't even have enough time to tell about them. But
069thank you so much for your hard work. Continue it. You all do an awesome job. Okay, so it's 5.30 now, so I'm going to... I'm just going to ask my colleagues if you can try to keep your questions or comments to about a minute and then follow up via email. You can send it to Cheryl and Don with any additional questions. As much as I hate to do it, I just want to make sure that our clerk gets a chance to take a break too. Mr. Bowen-Steele. I'll yield to my colleagues. Mr. Cummings. I'll just be quick and I'll follow up with email. First and foremost, I just love all the branding and all the work done on there. It's very poppin'. It's great looking. I love it. So 110% to that, I think that's
070phenomenal. I like the landing page for careers to sit out to me. And so I think that's a remarkable sign of excellence. And I have similar questions around conversions per some of these landing pages or social media posts. I'm kind of curious about the conversion rates. And so I know that we can leverage some of those tools that they have to track conversion rates as well. And then my final... Kind of thing that I'd be curious about I see Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube, but we know that the young people Are on a different platform that I don't see listed there And I know that we want to recruit a diverse range of age and whatnot, but I would love to see Expansion into some of the other you know Into the emerging forms of social
071media that I know where we have folks at so those are just my quick comments And I will follow up with email, so thank you very much Miss Dwyer I'm going to make this short and sweet because we got to go. But thank you. Great work, guys. Really great work. I'm so impressed. Carolyn took a lot of my thoughts. But guess what? Those statistics speak volumes. And that tells me, and that's not even with the raise, and they're saying we're number seven. People want to come here and work, bottom line. So thank you guys for inspiring and encouraging. Thanks. Appreciate you. And I just want to close this out really quick and thank you for all you're doing. I know we're kind of running out of time here and I don't want to. I don't
072want to not thank you, but, you know, when I compare our vacancy rates to what I'm seeing statewide, we are several percentage points below them, and that is because you guys have done an amazing job, and all of our staff has made Virginia Beach Schools a great place to work, so thank you. With that, we will recess. It is 5.33 p.m., and we will reconvene at 6 p.m. for our formal session.