School Board Meeting 4-9-25

001I call this this meeting of the U Gian County Public School Board to order again. I call this meeting of the Guchin County School Board to order. There she welcome to all present and online. Um we do request and this is a request that we do request that if you wish to speak and this is a request that you please sign up beforehand so that we can make sure that everyone gets their time. All right. Madam chair, do you have a motion? Madam vice chair, do you have a motion? I move that the Guchin County School Board convene a closed meeting under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act in order to discuss personnel matters involving the assignment, appointment, promotion, performance, demotion, salary, discipline, or resignation of employees of Gulin County Public Schools under Virginia Code

0022.2-3711A1 and to receive a staff briefing or update on legal matters under Virginia Code 2.2-371. 2-3711A7. Thank you. Is there a second? I second. Thank you. It has been second uh mo moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. I. Oppose say no. Any abstains? Okay. And that in that case we are in close session until 6 o'clock. Smack it again. Do it twice. The Guccen County School Board hereby certifies by roll call vote that to the best of each member's knowledge, one only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification resolution applies and two only such public business matters as were identified in the motion co convening the closed session were heard, discussed or

003considered by the Guchin County School Board. Each board member certifies responds. ISO certify when called. Miss Harris. Miss Robinson. ISO certified. Miss Maxwell. I certify. Miss Worcing. I say so certify. Miss Moses. I so certify. Miss I so certify. Thank you, Miss Harris. Um I would like to um I'm having cheers comments. Right. Well, actually before the the the moment of silence, um I would like to express the boards and the school's condolences to the family and friends of our student, um Kale Prior. It's always hard when we lose a loved one, and we know that this is a hard time for you. Please know that we are here for you in your time of need. Please, let's take a moment of silence to remember all who have been lost in our lives. Thank you.

004Thank you. Um, now for the pledge of allegiance. Miss Worcing, would you please lead us? Legs that way. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Are there any um additions, amendments, or would you like to just adopt the proposed agenda? Madam Chair, I move to adopt the agenda as presented. It has been it has been moved to um adopt the agenda as presented. Miss Worcing seconds. Okay. Is there any discussion? Okay. Hearing none, all those in favor of adopting the agenda as presented say I. I. Those opposed say no. Any abstains? Okay. In that case, we have a uh adopted agenda. All right. Um may I have a motion about our new superintendent? Madame Chair, I

005move to appoint Dr. Andrew Armstrong as the superintendent of Guchin County Public Schools effective April 22nd, 2025. discussion. Is there a discussion? We will have order or you will be asked to leave. All right. Is there a second? I second. Thank you. It has been moved, properly moved and seconded to appoint Dr. Andrew Armstrong as GCPS superintendent effective April 22nd, 2025. Um, is there any discussion? Board members, are is there any discussion? And hearing none, Miss Harris, would you do a roll call vote, please? [Applause] Shame on you. [Applause] Um, excuse me. Could uh what would the sheriff's deputy please help to restore some calm in here so that we can proceed with this legal meeting? [Music] Okay, Miss Harris, you want to try it again? Mrs. Allen, yes. Mrs. Moses, yes. Mrs. Woring, yes.

006Mrs. Maxwell, yes. Mrs. Robinson. Yes. Thank you. All [Applause] right. Now, for chair [Applause] comments. Okay. For chair comments. Um, I would like to I'm sorry. Okay. To all of the Guchin community and school community, the school board, after much thought and consideration, terminated Dr. KMarti's contract as superintendent last week. It was a hard and painful decision, but one that was in the best interest of our [Music] students. Our goal is to do the best for our goal is to do the best for our students. And we have just approved Dr. Andrew Armstrong as our new superintendent effective April 22nd, 2025. We feel that he is right for the community, the students, and the entire school community. He is no stranger to GLAN, having been the assistant superintendent of administration and interim superintendent from 2016

007to 2023. Dr. Armstrong has a deep understanding of our community and a strong commitment to educational excellence. His leadership experience at both the local and state levels uniquely positions him to guide GCPS into the future while maintaining the high standards and student centered approach that define our schools. We look forward to working with him to continue advancing opportunities for all students. We welcome Dr. Armstrong. Shake his hand. Shake his hand. [Applause] Mr. uh Dr. Armstrong, would you like to make some comments, Madame Chair, board members, and guests? Uh thank you. Tonight, I am honored and humbled to be appointed as a superintendent of Utland County Public Schools. This amazing school division, a division that has shaped me as a person and a leader uh since I joined this team nearly 10 years ago. During that

008time, I have been in awe of the outstanding professionals, our teachers, our staff, and our partners that make Gland County Public Schools the gem of public education here in Central Virginia and beyond. Leading that team, collaborating with this board and this community to support the conditions that will continue to distinguish GCPS is the opportunity and the responsibility of a lifetime. But there is no place I would rather be. I've come to understand in my over 25 years in K12 education as a teacher, a division leader, a principal, and a state leader, and most importantly in 20 years as a father. That this work, the work of educating children is the most complex and difficult work known to man. We have all experienced education on some level, whether in our own experience or through the experience

009of our children. And each of us sees public education through the lens of that unique experience. And we will work every day to provide every child in this school division not just opportunity but meaningful outcomes that prepared them for the world that awaits. And as your superintendent, I am dedicated to honoring this community's perspective as we work together to do what is best for kids every day. For seven years, I had the pleasure of leading the Echo Awards at the monthly school board meetings. And as I always said in our remarks, our core values are not just words on posters on walls. We live those values. And as your superintendent, I will embody them in my work. Excellence in the form of high expectations for everyone. Creativity and courage in our willingness to innovate in

010every space in this division. honor and transparent and honest communication and conversation. Optimism that what we do matters for our students, for our children, for our families, and for this community, no matter the challenges that may arise or the forces that might divide us. As I have traveled the state and the nation for the last two years, I have always spoken with pride about my experience here in Gland County Public Schools, and I know firsthand how special this school division is. Nothing gives me greater joy than to be here this evening with you. And I mean that. And please join me as we push ourselves even further to get better every day in this school division. On behalf of every one of our students, members of the board, Madame Chair, and this community, thank you

011all. Thank you, Dr. Armstrong. Dr. Armstrong, please please feel free to stay up here. Okay. Thank you. Um, we're to the announcement section. Um, oh, I'm sorry. Totally forgot about you, Miss McCord. Good evening, everybody. Good evening. All right, there we go. Okay, we're back. So, I'm the student representative for Guchin County Public Schools. Um, and I'm going to give my April report. We had, you know, of course, spring break, so there's not as many events. Starting off with Gland High School. Throughout the year, we've been recognizing students who are recognized each week by their teachers for doing something amazing. So we've have had Jackson Edwards who is a 10th grader nominated by Miss John Giri and Molly Flameia who is an 11th grader nominated by Mrs. Mistler. Bana Nich is a ninth grader. Miss

012Thomasson nominated her for her success in Miss Day's graphic design class. And Cameron Sleep is slept is a nominator at GHS nominated for his kindness by Miss Borsari. Jada is a sophomore at GHS and was nominated by Miss Black. Our student athletes for the month of March are Lizzie Bernett and Isaac Height. Lindsay is a junior leader and team captain of the varsity girls soccer team. Isaac was a football player in the fall and now is on the baseball team. On March 17th, our amazing history teacher, Rachel Tate, was named region 1 teacher of the year. Students are so proud of her as this is such a well-deserved award. Due to the snow days during February, we lost a lot of time there. At GHS, we celebrated back Black History Month during February and March.

013The base club hosted a schoolwide Black History Month cahoot during Bulldog Blocks. On March 21st, the club hosted their annual Black History Month pep rally where we had the opportunity to watch the Little Duke Steppers from Cumberland County. They were absolutely amazing and did a great job. The guest speaker, Dr. Rich, was amazing, and the DJ helped us celebrate this special month. The following week, the school participated in a cahoot during bug block to recognize down syndrome awareness. The cahoot was very informative and class raced to answer as many questions. Right. On March 28th, Guchin High School had energized and engaged day. This was the Friday before spring break. This day before spring breaks, students and teachers participated in classes they don't typically go to. So teachers instructed classes they don't teach. So, for example,

014we had classes like ballet, gardening, tailgating one-on-one where you just made burgers and hot dogs all day. Amazing. And so much more. One class option was community day. So, us high schoolers, no matter what grade, had the opportunity to go to all three elementary schools and help um children and teachers throughout the day, which was really fun. We got to read to so many classes, and I really appreciate the teachers and staff um donating their time for this day. You know, this is not something they typically do, but it's a fun day for all of us. So, thank you. Guchen FFA chapter was recognized and will be honored as a national chapter at the state FFA convention. This recognition celebrates FFA chapters that embody the organization's missions. Congratulations to Mr. Allen and FFA members. This

015is really exciting. Guin Robotics is headed to the 2025 World [Applause] Championship. It is absolutely amazing. They are headed to the First Robotics Competition World Championship in Houston, Texas from April 16th to the 19th as one of the 600 teams sent from all over the world. This is such an accomplishment and we're so excited for them to represent our school. Now, moving on to Randolph. There was a few events that took place on March 14th. Student had their house hundled huddle day and participated in a fun activity with their grade level house members. Randolph's garden clubs have been working around the clock to clean up their outdoor spaces in anticipation of spring. Everything is beginning to bloom. On March 27th, Random had Randolph had five teams of fourth grade, fifth grade students participate in the

016reading Olympics. One of our teams, Mock and Mnights, brought home the first place trophy. We are all so proud of the students who participated and appreciate the teachers and staff who helped lend their time to to the teams this year. Um I got the opportunity to talk with many librarians with on community day and they just love reading Olympics. Um it's one of their favorite times of the year and the students love it. So events at um Bird Elementary on March 16th 6th bees held its annual literacy night. This year they had basketball themed literacy activities in the gym, free dinner and it followed with a parentled bingo night in the cafeteria. It was a well attended and lots of fun. Every Wednesday, March 3rd, fourth, and fifth grade, no, every Wednesday in March, 3rd,

017fourth, and fifth grade boys had the opportunity to join the second annual March Madness after school activity. This is a weekly get together of the students to practice basketball skills, work on teamwork, and to discuss some other life skills at the same time. In April, Ber will having their annual math night as well as an awesome book fair. So, make sure to attend. I would also like to thank Dr. Kamari for his time at Guchin High School and we will definitely be missing his snow angels, his funny sleds on the school Instagram. So, thank you. All right, now to announcements. Um, this is autism awareness month. It's also school library month. Um, our preschool and kindergarten registration is April the 10th. Uh, that's this Thursday. Our regular meeting for next month will be May 13th

018at 5:30 p.m. at the Guchin Administration building, room 250. Uh, public school volunteer week is April 21st through 25th. This year, uh, we will be having mock interviews um, tomorrow on April the 9th. whatever. Um, celebration of excellence is May the 9, I'm sorry, May the 8th at 6 PM at Virginia Farm Bureau. That is 12580 West Creek Parkway. And our graduation will be May the 31st at 7:30 p.m. at Gushian High School Stadium. Okay, we now get to the public comment section. The purpose of schoolboard meetings is to allow the school board to conduct public business in an orderly and constructive manner. Members of the community are invited and encouraged to attend meetings of the Guin County School Board to observe its deliberations. Any member of the community may address the board on matters

019of general importance to the operation of Guchen County Public Schools at any regular meeting as provided in the accompanying regulation BDDH-R and KD-R. The chair is responsible for the orderly conduct of the meeting and rules on such matters as the appropriateness of the subject being presented and length of time allotted per speaker. A reasonable period of public comment time on the agenda as determined by the schoolboard chair is allocated at each regular meeting for community members to present matters of concern. Upon recognition, the speaker addresses the chair. The school board discourages public comments involving a complaint against about individuals, personnel action, student discipline, or pending litigation. Individual problems and concerns are best managed through administrative anyone not yet. She's waiting for her microphone to be restored. here. I'll just go over here. Okay. Each speaker

020will have three minutes to speak at three minutes. Actually at miss two minutes, excuse me, let me finish. At two minutes there will be a warning. Um and then the uh at 3 minutes the the microphones will be turned off. Okay. Um Okay. I am going to read some public comments from people who were unable to attend the meeting tonight. [Music] Is this better? I'm going to read public comments that came in from folks who were not able to attend the meeting and they want this read into the public comment. These comments do not reflect my personal views. So, I am just reading them. This is from Scott Cardani. We stand with our decision to terminate the superintendent as he did not follow the DEI mandates. It is sad when employees believe they can do

021what they want. Please do not pay any severance. The DEI mandates have been horrendous for Gland and the country. Unfortunately, you have a huge task before you as this has been ingrained in the culture of education. We voted for you all with this mandate in mind. Carolyn Cmerford. Carolyn Cmerford. I want this statement read aloud with other public statements at the schoolboard meeting. My name is Carolyn Cmerford. I am a long-term resident of Gland and am concerned about the actions of our county school board. The recommended changes in DEI policies are being made based on a presidential directive which is being challenged in the courts. You should not make these changes unless the law governing them has changed. It has not. Carolyn Cmerford. [Applause] This is from Bill and Sherry Bernett. Schoolboard members, one of

022the underpinnings of a functional organization is the concept of trust. We trust that contracts will be honored. When we accept a job, we trust that we will be respected and if we do a great job, that we will retain that job and maybe even be rewarded. We trust that our elected officials will be responsible with our money and will listen to input from the people they represent. You've broken that trust, not just with Dr. KMarti, but with the students, teachers, staff, parents, and citizens that you represent. Your treatment of Dr. KMarti was shameful. Who will want to work in our schools knowing that you fire without cause an employee who was going above and beyond to help our students? Additionally, it was terribly irresponsible to waste our hard-earned tax dollars that could have been put

023towards our schools. And you did it all. and and you did it all and you did it all without even allowing input from the community. When I wrote to you recently about the removal of the equity policy, Miss Allen replied, I want to reassure you that as a school board, we are committed to ensuring everyone is treated equally and fairly. I think you could use some training on what this means as well as your responsibilities to your constituents. How unfortunate that you've eliminated the policies and training that explains it. Still, it is not too late to change course. I urge you to do what you can to restore trust during the remainder of your [Applause] term. Reverend Emmanuel Harris to the Gland School Board. It really saddens me that we have lost a strong leader

024for our school system. Dr. KMarti has worked with clergy from day one to collaborate to create better educational outcomes for all students. He has met with me personally one-on-one more than once and has met with the other pastors in the ministers conference of Guchin as a whole on several occasions. Our conference and my church have worked with Dr. Israeli Armstrong Wagner and Kremardi work that continues today in many capacities. I am obligated to inform you that there is a real perception that the Guchan school board is racist. Your actions are creating community backlash and increasing racial tension in this county. I don't want this, but I want to be on record informing you of what is already happening. People are choosing not to work in Guchin County Public Schools or have their children attend. Boycotts

025are in the works. In the works. I serve a God who cares about everyone. So, I appealed to you to listen to other voices than the voices in your own head and from certain segments in the community while ignoring others who may have different perspectives. The ball is in your court. Do the right thing in God's eyes. Treat others how you would want to be treated. Reverend Dr. Emanuel C. [Applause] Harris Gulan branch of the NAACP ministers conference of Guchin and Vicinity Diggins Conference of Guchin and Vicinity. Dear Miss Moses, we hope this letter finds you well. We are writing to express our deep disappointment and concern regarding the recent termination of Superintendent Kremardi. As long-term members of this community, we have had the privilege of witnessing Dr. Dr. KMarti's exceptional leadership and commitment to

026the growth and success of our students, faculty, and the broader community. Under Dr. Kremard's guidance, we have seen significant improvements in academic standards, student well-being, community engagement, and state and national recognition. Guchin County Public Schools is one of 18 Apple distinguished districts worldwide. As you know, GCPS is one of only 10 school districts with 100% of its schools accredited each of the past 10 years. Guchin is number one in this region with a student so pass rate of 82% in English and number two in the region with a math pass rate of 83%. Dr. KMarti has led the district to deliver an on-time graduation rate of 98%. That is amazing. Gutland remains the number one ranked school district in the Richmond area by Niche magazine. He fostered an environment of inclusiveness, innovation, and open communication,

027ensuring that all voices were heard and valued. The positive changes that have taken place during his tenure are truly remarkable, and it is difficult to understand why such a crucial leader would be terminated. The decision to part ways with Dr. KMarti seems to overlook the tangible progress and the ongoing commitment to excellence. excellence he brought to our district. Dr. Kremardi has not only demonstrated strong leadership in challenging times, but has also built lasting relationships with educators, parents, and students alike. The termination of such a leader leaves us deeply concerned about the direction of the district and the impact this will have on our community's future. Elected and appointed officials at the national and state level, working to erase the contributions and history of people of color. This country enslaved men, women, and children for nearly

028100 years after this county's declar I'm sorry, after this country's declaration of independence stated, "All men are created equal." For 100 years after slavery was abolished, people of color suffered discrimination and denial of the American dream. The basic issue for the Civil War was slavery. The civil rights struggles of the 50s and 60s were the struggles of the 50s and 60s were about racial discrimination. Native Americans were massacred and pushed onto reservations to make way for national expansion. These are all unpleasant topics. However, it is our history to not teach about the to not teach about these. This the sentence doesn't read right. I can't make sense of that one. History is not supposed to be packaged to please the reader. That would be fiction. History should teach the great successes of mankind but also

029its shortcomings. We learned from both. We believe that Dr. Kremard's leadership has been invaluable. We believe the community will voice its opinion on this matter and seek a transparent and rational explanation of your decision. We are sure the board is conscious of the fact that Dr. Kmart's departure would be the third superintendent to depart Guchin in the past 12 years. This is not quite as bad as the county administrator role, which has seen four departures in the same period. What does this say about Gland? Can we attract the best talent for these critical roles? If the best qualified candidates perceive Guchin to be a difficult place to be successful in our opinion, Dr. Kremardi has met and exceeded the core values of Guchin County Public Schools. He has demonstrated excellence, creativity, courage, honor, and optimism

030throughout his tenure here in Gland. How do Guchin County School Board members measure against these values? We are quite interested in how the school board will move forward. It is our desire that you engage students, parents, staff, faculty, and the community in developing a path forward which will provide the best possible educational environment for our children. Sincerely, Jessica Ganuma, president of the NAACP. Lisa Melton, chair of the NAACP education committee. Reverend Adley Allen, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Genanon and Vicinity. Vernon Fleming, president of the Diggins Conference of Gutland and Vicinity. [Applause] And now we will start public comment. Amy Royogos Rologos. Good evening. My name is Amy Rolligus. I live in district 1 F and I have two children enrolled in Guchinand schools. I lost faith in this board to do the

031right thing a while ago, but you all keep one uping yourselves. I'm sure someone else tonight will address the fiscal irresponsibility of firing our superintendent before the end of his contract and the amount of money this board has again diverted from our students from my children during your tenure. But that's not why I'm here tonight. In spite of my lack of faith in this board, I'm still shocked at the firing of Dr. Kremardi. You said it's without cause, presumably because he did nothing to deserve this. And you can't say the real cause out loud because we all know that there is a cause. I want you to understand what the public thinks because you may not be in the same space as I am. The public sees you spending uh thousands of dollars, hundreds of

032thousands of dollars to fire an impeccably qualified, highly effective, well-loved black man who incidentally moved his family here. He moved his family here and joined our community fully. his students. His his children are students in our schools and our classmates of our children. You fired him without cause and you've now replaced him with a white man. It doesn't matter how qualified he is. The job wasn't his to have. You've chosen to do this on the same night you voted to remove the county's Title Six policies. Our school board knows what Title Six is, but for those of you in the audience tonight who are rusty on this, it's part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the part that prohibits entities receiving federal funding from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. I

033shouldn't have to tell you how bad the optics of this are, but I'm going to say it out loud. It looks like racism. [Applause] Dr. for Richard Kchman asking some thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to ask questions not to criticize. I feel since I live in district 1, Tapscott, my family and I have been here for almost 48 years. Two of my children attended school here and I've been a volunteer for many years and I know some of the people at least one of the people on the board that I've worked with before and I know Andy Armstrong and I'm just a volunteer. I am not privy to all the intering politics that that goes on. I'm a retired professor from the school of medicine at MCV. It's one of the

034things I've done. I've been involved in education for over 50 years, not just in Virginia, but around the world. I've worked with many, many people, very diverse people with very long interests. And I marveled at the wonderful school system we have here. I and my wife volunteered initially to mentor at risk children and we got the Rotary Club involved in providing meals for these kids and then it broadened to many other things. This is only the second time I've spoken before the board. I spoke the last time over what I call the lack of teamwork and recommended they bring in some fourth and fifth graders to help guide them in terms of what teamwork is is is all about. But to the matter at hand, uh when the announcement was made of the dismissal of

035Dr. Cromardi without cause, that's well within the purview of the school board to do that. So I immediately contact the chairperson, Miss Moses, and asked her, and she immediately responded that we don't comment on personnel issues. I thereupon called my representative from the board of supervisors, Jonathan Christie, and he knew nothing about this and I was the first person to make him aware of this. I then called Tom Winfrey, chairman of the board of supervisors. He said, "I didn't know anything about it." I then called Manny Alvarez, acting administrator for the county, didn't know anything about it. Why? So, my question is not why they didn't know, but again, it's a it's a a team, county team, not a school board team. They didn't give them a heads up, not with any detail, but just

036that something big was going to happen in terms of a personnel issue. It does not look well within the community of Gutland and clearly outside that this happened. But but I think I I wondered what was what was this about since we couldn't talk about or hear about the personnel issues. This happened during spring break. It happened with with two months to go before the school was was over. This must have been a most egregious violation that that occurred. Please, please, my time is very short. My, you know, I I wondered, you know, was he an existential threat to the educator? honorable intelligent people to represent us knowing that there was a need for accountability and transparency and I'm just asking questions what what happened I know that in a public meeting earlier than this

037the administrator asked Dr. Cromardy what his priorities were. Generally speaking, these priorities are derived from the superintendent speaking to his staff and the teachers and it was a conflation or consensus of their position. Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much. [Music] Next up on public comment is Mr. Scott Turner. Madame chairperson, board members, you broke the number one rule. You put Gland in the news. Gland is known as a place businesses want to move. We have good roads, reasonable taxes, and a high quality school. So, a business has an educated workforce. People used to say, "I'd like to buy a house in Gland. It's so pretty. And look at the great schools. That's why we moved here back that was back when Gland schools were top in the region and geometry was more important than

038bigotry." Now people, Now people think, "Ow, I don't want to move there. Look at their extremist school board. You ruined our reputation with the ridiculously stupid way you fired Dr. C." So fellow citizens, when your property values go down, thank the school board. When when businesses, developments, and tax bases they bring slow down, thank the school board. And for what? You just threw away $250,000 of our dollars. Why? No cause. The first time I met Dr. C, he was patiently trying to explain the basic math of school administration to all of you. And from the blank looks on your faces, I could see it was way over your heads. X amount of each category of student requires Y amount of teacher. His PowerPoint was long and technical, but showed that the man really knew what

039he was talking about. What was your response? There's no money in the budget. Can't you find volunteers? That's what Doge says to do. Show me in the budget where it says the school board will waste $250,000 of our hard-earned money. But here's an idea. Since you squandered our money, you need to pay it back by giving all of your salaries and returning all pay you have received. Nothing can fix the damage you have caused to our county. But that would be a start. So why did you cause this irrep irreparable harm? No cause. Now you say, "Don't worry. We have a new guy who is really the old junior superintendent. Did you put this job up with OPM or follow recommended best practices for our state?" Of course not. You brokered a backroom deal after

040the new guy agreed to hate the people you hate and harm the students you want to harm. Good old cronyism. Now everyone's saying, "Oh, look at that racist school board and racist Gland County." But I don't think that's necessarily fair. We don't know that you hate all black people, just that you couldn't stand having one in charge because he was smarter than you. When you pulled Gutland County out of the normal, [Applause] Mr. Turner, your time is over. [Applause] No, no, that was it. I don't know. They're not doing it. Next up for public comment is Mark Hyle. Good evening, school board members and superintendent. Um, my name is Mark Hyle and I live in Sandy Hook. I am here this evening to say thank you for your service to our community. Thank you for

041the endless hours of reading policies and going over the budget and going to meetings and events on behalf of the citizens of Gland. I also want to say that I trust you and that I trust your judgment to act on behalf. We the citizens of Guchin do not we the citizens of Gland do not know all the details of everything you do but I can say I trust you and support you in the hard decisions you make. In one of those recent hard decisions regarding the superintendent, I want to remind you that only that only you truly know the reasons for your decision. I don't think you would make such a decision lightly. And so again, I say I trust you. I trust that you were looking out for the greater good for of all

042the students and parents of Gen Schools. quoting the superintendent's own letter that was there was a philosophical difference. I went and looked up the word philosophy and there are a few differences but I think the one that applies to his letter was quote the most basic belief and concepts attitudes of an individual or group. Well, if he has a difference in the most basic concepts and beliefs and attitudes then I trust you have made the correct decision. I don't know all the details, but I do know that by the laws of Virginia that the superintendent serves quote at the pleasure of the board of the school board. Therefore, any superintendent can be let go with a vote on those on the school board, not by the popular vote of the citizens of the county or

043by the teachers and administrators in that school system. The superintendent is supposed to carry out the policies that the school board votes on. If he could not do this because of his differences, he should have voluntarily left. But after almost two years of you trying to work with him, you needed to part ways with him, and you have unanimously voted to do so. I trust your decision because I trust you, even if I don't know all the details. Please ignore all the deliberate lies, falsehoods, innuendo that will be said about this situation. Remember, only those that had access to the closed door meeting knows what was said and done in that situation. But it isn't interesting to note that a letter was written and sent out before you came out of that closed door meeting

044and cast the public vote on the matter. That says to me that you all had had conversations about the issues and he knew what he was going to he knew what was going to happen. Again, thank you for your service. It is very much appreciated, Mr. How do you me? Next up is Minister Cheryl Sims. Hello, I'm Minister Cheryl Sims of the Western part of Gucha and you all know me, definitely you, Angela. We went to school together and it's appalling to me at what went on over spring break. I'mma start right here because I am a minister, ordained minister. Get it straight. John 8:32 says, "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." I heard y'all say, "Don't talk about litigation. Don't talk about a person. Don't talk about

045that." But first, let me applaud you. Hold that for me, Ryan. Let me applaud you. Cuz you know what you did for me? You caused me to become an advocate for children like this. This here, I've taken him on as my baby because you've done him like you've done my grandkids. My grandkids watched their mother be murdered in June of 2021. They were abused by the murderer and then they were disabled. On top of that, they were entrusted by the court system to come into my custody. And I came over here in a county that I'd have lived in for over 50 years, longer than most of y'all, and you guys started to abuse my grandsons worse than the killer. And that's a sad situation. Over spring break. Yeah. The main head one of the

046lynching mob cuz Andy, you in that mob, too. So, so you come back here to finish off with Sans Anderson and Lee Forbes and Sarah Franklin Murray, Jennifer Wagner. And oh, y'all inducted Dr. Kmati into this mess and you made him a stoogge. And over spring break, you got rid of him. You got rid of Lee Forbes and a whole lot of others. Lisa Coons from the VOE, all of y'all got y'all are being investigated. And I can't wait until the day they put handcuffs on y'all cuz y'all are sick and racist and bigots. Disability to bigotry should not be in your demeanor. But it is. How do you abuse children that has already been abused and you got my grandson traffic to a criminal in Fr. And I'm going to get him back. So

047think you mess with this. See what my shirt says. You talk about the storm, I bring the storm. Don't mess with my grandkids. And Andy, I heard you say you going to do the right thing by all kids. Get started with Croy Gun. Y'all suspended him and won't do a MDR to get him back in school. He's sitting at home rotten and y'all don't care. I'm looking for a MDR. Y'all did a threat assessment on a disabled child and you keep his records, his medical records out of his file so that he can't get the help that he needs. He needs private placement. Where is private placement? Where is private placement? Sim address the chair. Excuse me. Do not address the anyone other than the chair. That would be me. Last time I checked, I'm

04852 years old. As of March the 30th, but I can address whoever I want. I have no idea what you said. They filed a lawsuit against me over spring break to silence me. They filed a law against me. black woman. Please, we're done. Could Could we have order, please? Order, please. Order, please. [Applause] Okay, you may have missed this when I when I did the uh intro to this. All I will have order, Miss Sims. I will have order all All comments are to be directed to the chair. Do not direct them to anyone other than the chair. Okay. Also, when your three minutes is up, stop talking. Your three minutes are up. You get no extra time than anyone else does. Okay? We're trying to be fair here. All right. Our Okay. Ne next

049up is Christina Paige for public comment. Christina Paige. Christina Paige, District 2. I stand before you tonight as a taxpayer, a parent, and an embarrassed, outraged citizen of this county. Your decision to fire Dr. KMarti without cause is not just appalling. It's an egregious abuse of power, fiscally reckless, racially charged, and an act of political cowardice. You owe this community answers and your resignations. Dr. KMarti's severance will cost taxpayers over $200,000. That's on top of $240,000 in unbudgeted legal fees you've incurred, the expensive rising teacher turnover under this board, as well as the cost of your ridiculous crusade to ban books. Meanwhile, critical school needs go unfunded. You've proven time and again that you are incapable of being fiscally responsible with taxpayer money. Dr. KMarti is an exceptionally qualified superintendent who raised our district's proficiency

050scores in math and reading and advocated for real student support. When this board said 82% proficiency scores were good enough, he pushed for hiring professional interventionists to help with the other 18%. And what was this board's proposal? retirees from Avery Point reading to kids on a YouTube channel for students who already succeeding. Maybe it would help, but it's not legitimate support. It's performative nonsense that insults educators and students alike. What if your child was part of that 18%. If firing Dr. KMarti and gutting equity policies truly served students best interests, you'd be transparent about your motives. Since you refuse to publicly defend your own positions to your constituents, you have no business making decisions that impact our children's education and safety. Fairness and integrity are inherent requirements of a board member. Yet, you betray this

051community's trust at every turn. You just threw away a dedicated, proven superintendent without justification. You are not leaders. You are political operatives using our children as pawns in your ideological games. And yet, in another shameless move, you've lined up a replacement tied to Governor Yncan's Department of Education. An administration intent on dismantling public schools. There was no transparent search, no community input, just a backroom deal to replace a successful black leader with a less experienced white man. We see exactly what that is. This is not a personal attack on Dr. Armstrong. I've heard positive things about his prior service to GCPS, but his recent alignment with an administration pushing reforms that undermine public education is deeply concerning. If he's to succeed, he must reject this board's political agenda and prove he's here to serve all

052students, not act as your proxy. Let me leave you with this. Your incompetence, fiscal irresponsibility, and extremist agenda are actively damaging what has historically been a highly regarded school district. You have no business holding the positions you do. You are a disgrace to this county and an embarrassment to public service. Every single one of you needs to [Applause] resign. Next up is Laura Bennett Capone. Laura Bennett Capone. Good evening. What this board did to Dr. KMarti, firing him without cause over spring break, without transparency is not just cowardly, it's reckless. Let's be clear, as we've heard this evening, Dr. KMarti was doing an excellent job. This decision was not based on performance. It was based on politics. You claim to value fiscal responsibility, yet this move, as again we've heard many times tonight, will cost

053this county over $200,000. And that's being conservative. that would have gone towards muchneeded resources for the classroom. How about raises for our teachers who actually need that to retain excellent staff or other student resources. We have every right to ask how your actions reflect the fiscal values you claim to uphold. You were elected to serve all of Guchand, not just those who share your personal ideology. Dr. Karate stood up for equity and inclusion. He worked to ensure every student felt seen, valued, and supported. And that really shouldn't be controversial. It should be the standard. This is a public school system. Our schools exist to serve the whole community, not to advance partisan agendas. The families, educators, and taxpayers of this county deserve better. We deserve leadership grounded in principles, not politics, and transparency that matches

054the public responsibility you were elected to uphold. And beyond this one decision, you're sending a very troubling message to future superintendent, to teachers we're trying to recruit, and to families like mine deciding whether we should even stay in this county anymore. When you choose politics over principal, this whole community pays the price. The role of this board is to protect and advance the mission of public education, not your personal politics. If that's not your goal, it's time to reconsider why you're [Applause] [Music] here. Wes Royer. Wes Royer West Royer District 2. If you want to know someone's mind, listen to their words. If you want to know their heart, watch their actions. We've seen both from the school board, but the board's most recent actions in prematurely terminating our school superintendent, banning diversity, equity, inclusion,

055and books, and failing to exercise fiscal responsibility or follow their own code of ethics has shown our community their true hearts. A local business owner once shared this with me today. I recently reminded of how our of the story of how Abraham Lincoln famously brought many of his opponents to his cabinet after he was elected president. It was a brilliant move, one he did to help unify the party in the community and more importantly because he valued the unique perspectives and cap capabilities. He believed a cabinet more of made up of a strong even conflicting viewpoints would help him lead more effectively. Even the smartest person in the world is still limited by a single very important fact. They are only one person with only their own experiences and perspective to draw upon. When you

056introduce others into discussion, you multiply the wealth of experience and perspective you can tap into. So board members, what's holding you back from welcoming opposition? Perhaps you see opposition as a threat? How can you become curious instead of defensive? So I ask of each each of you, how many times have you sat down with a gay or transgender kid just to have a discussion about their life journey? How many times have you had a discussion with their family to understand how hard the world makes it to support their beautiful children? How many times have you sat down with a black family and discuss the powerful stories that their ancestors have shared about racism? I'm shaking here. people and that these families still endure new ways of racism still generations later. How many times have you

057sat down with a student of an immigrant family to understand the fears they live with every day? The fears that your very own immigrant ancestors likely dealt with because of their accident, language, religion, skin tone, clothing, or even the food they ate. How many times did you sat down with a child with physical or mental disability or that comes from a broken or unsafe home? Heard that? to truly understand why being successful in learning requires so much more effort and why the community should support and a safe space and extra help. I have had these conversations in the United States and in other countries that I work in. My wife and I have encouraged our children to read, hear, and evaluate these very perspectives. Our minds and hearts are more open for it. Our community

058and the education of all of our children, we'd be better for it. Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, he was quoted as saying, "The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts." board members, after spending so much time and energy excluding and dismissing humans and lifestyles that don't fit your ideological, dogmatic, close-minded, ignorant, cowardly, hateful mere view. I feel sad that the lack of true happiness you must have in your life and hearts. I am disappointed. No, I am angry at how you wish to indoctrinate our community's children with that same sadness. Thank you, and I hope you continue to have the evening and the life that you deserve. Dr. Laura Castner. Laura Castner. Good evening. Tonight, you will hear from several verified members of the GCPS staff as I organized a way for

059them to give anonymous feedback because they did not feel safe telling you themselves. While some might be long, slightly longer than three minutes, it is my hope that you will give the educators, not me, the respect that they need for you to hear their voices. They're scattered throughout the room. people will let you know that there are teachers they're representing. As for my comments, uh the underhanded and unwarranted firing of our county's first black superintendent and the subsequent payout of over $200,000 has awakened many Glanders to what I have seen at front and center to your incompetence since you all have arrived on the scene. While a whole new group of people are here listening, thank you first of all, sincere thanks. I want you to know there is a long list. This is the

060not the first thing. I will be publishing a full letter to the editor in the Gazette. I want everyone to fact check the hell out of it. Do not take my word for it, but I'm just going to give you as many things as I can run down in three minutes. On March 11th, at a live stream meeting of the board of supervisors and our school board, Karen Woring said she expected all students to she didn't expect it's not realistic to have all of our kids to be proficient in reading and math. That around 80% is enough from a Henriiko teacher. Ellen Robinson suggested that volunteers could just fix low literacy scores by coming to read once in a while. January 28th, 2025, chair Meredith Moses in a live stream budget workshop said, quote, "I

061don't care whether or not we ask for a flat budget given that we have increased costs this year or if we just ask for this. We don't need to ask for any more money than last year." The clerk of the school board who served honorably for over 20 years and many boards and superintendents ensuring ensuring that we stay compliant with the Freedom of Information Act was relieved of her duties because she would respond to requests about what was said between board members. They did not love oversight. So they went ahead and hired a second person to our tax dollars. That person who had no training in FOYA and how to follow those rules, they didn't make it a week. We'll just go ahead and pay them a severance, too, I'm sure. Um, by the way,

062all these new policies that they've put up, our website, because we have no clerk, it's not up to date on our website. So, if your kids get in trouble, make sure that the right policy is there because right now we don't have the right policy on our website. Sans Anderson, a respected law firm in education law, has been on retainer with Guland for a long time. These ladies wanted another opinion. They hired a fresh out of law school young guy, another retainer, another fee, money not going to our classrooms to go ahead and double the bill for us so they can get their their feelings assuaged. While families were on summer vacation, they rushed through policy changes to the handbook on dress code and on cell phone with no community engagement at all. They spent

063over $10,000 on those dumb lock boxes that sit empty every single day. That's not including the staff time to install them. I am happy to have you read the rest in the gazette. Have a great night. Silus Beasley. Silus Beasley. [Applause] [Music] Hello, my name is Silus Beasley. I am 14 years old and I attend Gland High School where I am the ninth grade class president. And I am also a Blige, Virginia Governor School and ACA student. Thank you for the opportunity to speak and for considering my concerns and requests. Last week, this board made the decision to fire Gushland's beloved and first African-American superintendent, Dr. Cromardi. As I know so many other Gushland citizens were, I was appalled, devastated, and confused when I watched the recording of this board announcing the decision to terminate

064Dr. Kromardi. I met him a few times in the past one and a half years. But just from the way he spoke to me, I knew he was kind, caring, and trail ba and a trailblazing person who truly cared about my aspirations and future plans. He also made my eighth and nth grade years more enjoyable and productive. I am very frustrated with that this board fired this administrator without publicly stating a reason. This termination has divided Goose and has caused upset and discontentment. If the personal politics of schoolboard members have affected decisions, this easily opens the door to corruption. [Applause] Our education system should be completely free of partisan politics. But a genuine and empathetic human being and administrator was fired and his family who moved to Gland to serve this county schools has been

065completely uprooted. This decision, along with many of this board's other decisions, creates a general aura of apathy towards the students, staff, and parents of this county. After watching all of the public portion of last week's schoolboard meeting, this is my understanding of the financial implications. Because of Dr. After Cromar's contract put into effect one and a half years ago, he's entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to comp comply with his contract. Now, not only does this county have to pay the deserving Dr. Cromardi his severance, the county now also has to pay a new superintendent, now Dr. Armstrong, to actually do the job and its responsibilities. I am deeply saddened because this wasted money could go to various good causes within the school system. I am making the student because I am

066a student who attends Gland High and this troubling decision directly affects me as well as the thousands of students and staff members of Gushland schools. I go to school every single day to learn and create relationships with others. So, I intensely struggle to understand why this board seems to have brought their own political beliefs into what is intended to be a completely politics-free school board. I am asking for this board from here on out to keep their personal pol political beliefs to their inner circle and keep these ideologies out of our education. I am also asking for a public address about why the decision was made to terminate Gushland's beloved superintendent. My final ask is that in all future board objectives to first keep in mind the students, faculty, and parents whom this board was

067selected to serve. Thank you. [Applause] Next up, Next up, Dr. Charles Hayden. Dr. Charles Hayden. on you. I'm going let I'm not going to turn you any longer and don't call me back. Well, I'm here in person. All right. I'm a 1974 graduate. I'm a 1974 graduate of this county's high school. after the period of the late of late se late late desegregation the bird system you remember the bird system we want to bring it back we are not going back and I'm I'm I'm I'm appalled because when I was a student here and I have some of my classmates here and I'm glad to see them um I was over in I think the French laborator ator and we had a career day and they asked the the the the dentist happened to be

068a white gentleman. He asked say, um, what do you all want to be when you when you when you when you grow up, when you when you finish, when you go? And I I I was, you know, kind of brave and I stood up and I said, I want to be a doctor. And he told me, you know what he told me? He said, don't even think about it. This is not about me, but this is about Dr. and the policy that you have which is not a transparent policy. The glass is that dirty as it can get. And we find that if I had had a role model that was a superintendent, I would not have to have gone to Hampton Institute as a poor black farmer who had sometimes no food, not enough

069food to eat, not proper clothes to wear. I would not have had to gone there down down there for to get somebody to tell me when I got there, you ought to become a doctor because I had put it away from my mind because somebody told me, I didn't have a role mouth. Somebody told me, don't even think about it. This is the same type of stuff that you are doing. You can't continue to do this type of stuff. You can't do this. It's not good. I'm a I'm a minister. I'm a preacher as well. The Lord said that you you you take care of the poor. You take care of those that are not able to speak for themselves. Job took care of the poor that could not speak for themselves. You are you

070are called here to take care of all of the citizens. Not not the light, not the black, not the green, not the brown, but all. And especially the black ones. And I say it because my grandfather, William Hayden, worked as a slave at at Haydensville and never never never paid for it. You tell me that you want to bring back this type of stuff. What is wrong with you? Dr. Hayden, your time is up. 69 years old. And you ought to have respect. You can't take a black man in the corner and think that you're going to [Applause] take it out. [Applause] Anita Hyle. Anita Hyle. Good evening, Madame Chair and Schoolboard. Dr. Armstrong, Anita Hy, District 2, Sandy Hook. national Dr. Hayden doc Dr. Hayden hide. We need order, please. Dr. Hayden, I would

071hate for you to have to be removed. [Music] Please, Miss How? Uh, good evening, Madame Chair and School Board. Anita Hile, District 2, Sandy Hook. Two words, two words from a vast catalog of vocabulary have been used to share share a sense of where we are as a society. Phrases like be kind, keep calm, aim high, love fiercely, rise above, dream big, and my personal favorite, fear not. These words inspire and move people not only in changing a mindset but sometimes they become a person's life motto. And two words seem to be the catalyst of this meeting tonight without cause. The consternation and uproar from this community is what we're witnessing here and reminiscent of days of superstition and the wielding of pitchfork and torches. With the firestorm that broke out on social media last

072week discussing Dr. Cromard's termination. A commentator, in my opinion, summed it up well. Sometimes without cause is part of a negotiation. Doesn't mean there wasn't a cause. It just means parties agree to separate ways and respect each other's reputation and privacy. They followed it up with this statement. Without all the facts, information, judgment should be withheld. As you know, the superintendent is to serve at the pleasure of the school board. With the school board being the employer and the superintendent, the employee in the practice of hiring and terminating employees, logic dictates that this is a personnel matter and valuing security and privacy for all parties is demanded. I've never heard of a company or organization terminating an employee and the community has the right to know why simply because they demand it. But but here

073we are. I leave you with two words. Words that in my opinion are not expressed nearly enough as we have become a society of entitled individuals. These two words are simple and yet convey a powerful message. Thank you. Thank you for the time you give to our community. Thank you for being willing to put yourselves on the line, to conduct yourselves respectfully, though your detractors are outspoken and relentless while your many supporters are idle. Thank you for listening and hearing what the community has shared tonight and for making the best decisions for the sake of our greatest resource and treasure, our children. Barbara Sloan. Barbara Sloan. Good evening everyone. Um, so here we are, a community divided and angry. I see that fear being spread like wildfire by a wellorganized group is proving to be

074quite a motivator. It certainly gets people to a schoolboard meeting on a Tuesday evening in April. These loud, angry fearmongers shriek to community members that we are in big trouble. They prime people for reaction, not collaboration and critical thought. Not for unity, but for division. This is a sad place to be. The people here tonight have much more in common than the casual observer might think. We all love our kids, our grandkids, our nieces, nephews, brothers, and sisters. We all want them to have a safe environment in which to learn and grow. We differ on how to get there. Dr. Kremardi said it best in his thoughtful farewell farewell letter and I quote, "I have a long I have long recognized the fundamental misalignment between my leadership philosophy and vision for the school division and

075the direction the school board has deci decided to pursue. This fine school board in front of us was voted in overwhelmingly by our community because the majority of the previous school board was crossing a line that did not and still does not make sense to those of us who believe in truth and fair play. How can you tell your kid to ignore what they know to be true because their superior tells them to? The previous school board's vision and philosophy did not jive with natural law that got the attention of many parents and they went out to vote. In this time of hysteria, one of the most powerful things we can do is resist this fear being perpetrated. Stay grounded, thoughtful, and support each other. Choose courage over paranoia. Act as if our kids are

076watching us, because they are. I witnessed a member of this school board being viciously, verbally abused in the parking lot after the April 1st meeting by a member of the public known for spreading fear and misinformation. If this individual can scream loud enough to [Applause] convince if this individual can scream loud enough to convince folks that they have the answer to the perceived problem, I suspect that individual feels pretty powerful and relevant. People like that are neither. I implore everyone to support Dr. Armstrong. I welcome you and our school board as well. They are charged with a huge task and must work within the confines of the codes of Virginia law. These are members of our community who stepped up to serve because they love kids and believe in the power of common sense. These

077women are now being maligned, abused, threatened, and accosted in public. Yet here they are, strong, resolute, and determined to do what is the very best for all of our kids. One of my favorite quotes is, "Fear is contagious, but so is courage." I say to each of you on this board, stay the course. We support you. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Beth Hardy, children. Good evening. I am sharing comments on behalf of a GCPS educator tonight. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent termination of our superintendent without cause. As a teacher in this district, I've had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the commitment, integrity, and advocacy that Dr. KMarti consistently demonstrated in support of our educators and students. Throughout his short tenure in Gland, Dr. Dr. Cromardi was a steadfast ally to teachers,

078always prioritizing our needs, listening to our concerns, and pushing for changes that would benefit both educators and the students we serve. His leadership was instrumental in creating an environment where we felt valued, supported, and empowered to do our best work. To see his dismissal, particularly without cause, is both troubling and disheartening. My concern extends beyond the loss of a dedicated superintendent. I fear that this action sends a message that the voices of teachers and educators, those who are directly involved in the day-to-day learning and well-being of our students, are not being heard or respected. I worry about the direction our county will take without the strong advocacy and leadership that Dr. Croardi provided. As we move forward, I urge the board to consider the long-term effects of this decision on our district and remain hopeful

079that we can continue to work together to ensure the success and well-being of our students, teachers, and staff. And now, these are my personal comments. What I have witnessed over the past year with this school board is deeply disturbing. I've witnessed a board that didn't work with or supported superintendent and then dismissed him without cause. I've witnessed a board that continually lacks transparency in their actions. I can count on one hand the number of times there's been any meaningful discussion in advance in public meetings prior to votes. I've witnessed a board that is not representing its full constituency but rather supports the agendas of special interest groups. I've witnessed a board chair who interrupted and argued with a constituent during public comment. And I've witnessed fiscal irresponsibility and actions that are clearly not in the

080best interest of our students, teachers, and staff. And all of these actions show a complete disregard of proper governance. At first, I thought it was just ignorance of such. Surely, you would leverage the support and training for board governance from reliable sources, including the Virginia School Board Association. Instead, you chose to leave the VSBA, a clear indication that you believe you know more and better than an organization that's been doing this for 119 years. I have no idea of any training this board has received regarding proper procedure and governance. So, I can only assume it's not ignorance. It's hubris and it's telling. And this this is accountability. Jenny Wood. Jenny Wood. This This is more more entertaining than a roundabout. It is. Um, Jenny Slade. Now, I got married. My married name, District 2. I

081came here tonight not just as a concerned citizen and a mom of a fourth grader and a seventh grader, but also as someone who believes in account accountability, integrity, and the importance of courageous leadership, especially when it's not easy. Over the last two years, numerous parents and teachers have come to me with issues with the superintendent. I can't go into this for privacy reasons, but those parents and teachers, thank you as well. I want to start by saying thank you not just for your time tonight, but for standing firm in a decision that I know wasn't taken lightly. I know you've taken heat. I know you've been called names. You've had your integrity question and probably lost a few friends. I know I have, and I'm not even elected. But let me remind you, courage

082often doesn't come with applause. There are people in this community who are louder than they are informed. But the silent majority, the ones who are tired of politics, tired of the games, and just want schools that work for our kids, we see you and we've got your back. You took a vote that wasn't politically safe. You didn't play nice to protect feelings. You stood up and you said, "This isn't good enough for our kids." That's leadership. And if people are more upset about a superintendent losing their job than they are about students falling behind, that says more about their priorities than yours. Our schools are the heartbeat of our communities. They shape the next generation and they deserve a superintendent that is present, effective, and accountable. Your vote showed that you're listening, that you're watching,

083and that you're not afraid to act in the best interest of our children. So tonight, I want to encourage you. Don't back down. Stay the course. The noise will fade, the dust will settle, and what will be left is a stronger foundation for future generations. Thank [Music] you. Don't mind again. Please, we we're trying to show respect. We are showing respect. Can you please show respect to people who have opposite views than yours? Elizabeth Ortuno. Elizabeth Ortuno, members of the board, Madam Chair, um Dr. Camaraderie began his superintendent role in August of 2023. He was hired by a school board that in November of 2023 was almost entirely replaced. Guchin voted for an almost new board replacing four out of the five board members. Why did our county want this huge change? Does anybody remember?

084We didn't want boys in the girls bathrooms, locker rooms, or sports. We didn't want age inappropriate books in our children's libraries. We didn't want DEI indoctrination dividing our schools and students based on their color, sexual orientation, victimhood. We wanted our children to be able to go safely to school and get an excellent education without these distractions. The boss of the superintendent is the school board. They are in charge of hiring or replacing the superintendent who will best align with what our board sees as the best interest for our schools. The school board represents our values and philosophy of what we want for our children. Dr. Kamardi was hired by the previous school board that did not represent our values. In his own words, he said, "I have long recognized the fundamental misalignment between my leadership

085philosophy and vision for the school division and the direction the school board has decided to pursue. This is a clear example of a misalignment of leadership. We want and need our superintendent and school board to be in sync so that our students can flourish. There are several activists in our county that show up to every school board meeting looking for anything to divide us as a community for their political agenda. Please do not be manipulated by their purposeful intent to force their agenda on us. Our current school board is acting in our children's best interests and represents the values of our community. I support them and I encourage you all to do the same. Thank you, [Applause] Wendy Hobbs. Wendy Hobbs. Hello. My name is Daryl McCrae. Madam Chair, um I'm going to yield my

086time to Wendy Hobbs. I'm sorry. No, we we do not do that. You did not establish on that. So, you cannot change it in the middle here. You did not establish a rule that that no one could do that. I thought the last school board changed that. You did not tonight. You did not. And we're not going to even waste my time. My name is Wendy Hogs and I live in district two and this is what I got. I am Wendy Hobs. I live in district 2. Missy, the silence we just experienced reflect the uncertainty felt by the citizens you're representing regarding Dr. Crommani. abruptly being fired. You were silent. And because you're silent and you got to experience how uncomfortable that is, how awkward that is, how people feel that they're not being heard,

087how it made you uncomfortable wondering if I had lost my mind standing here and saying nothing. Is this what you all want for this county? You have heard tonight the divisiveness that has occurred in this county and unfortunately it is a result of politics. Not that y'all care about the kids, not that you care about the citizens. You all are pandering to a mega base in Gland County. You have not shown respect to the citizen. I am your citizen. Now, if the county wants to remove taxes from Mfield and withdraw all the tax money that people are paying that do not agree with you, see how that would work in the school budget. But I didn't get a refund. So, that means I'm your boss. So, let me do process. You [Applause] remember that you

088swore an oath of office and you signed ethical documents that said you represent all the citizens and I said in in a training where you were told that you only represent the people that voted for you. That person miss your time is up. [Applause] on the 31st highlighted accomplishments of the school board on and that was because of Dr. the fine staff we have, the teachers we have and then on April 1st, y'all fired. How much sense does that make? He was doing good one day the and the next day he's not suitable to be our superintendent. You have created a hostile working environment and a hostile community by your behavior. That is not acceptable. Teachers are afraid to come before you and share their concerns without fear of retaliation. That should not exist. We

089got teachers, principles. We had a principal leave in the middle of the year. We got another principal leaving at the end of this school year. And when he leaves, there is no black person in authority to make hiring and firing decisions. But you don't care. I saw your presentation to the board of supervisors. 18% of the students don't matter. That's 400 and some students. They don't matter. We're satisfied with being 82%. And we're talking about minimum proficiency, not everybody a student. Just get to the minimum level and you don't care. Moreover, you overlook the diversity that makes us a great county. And tonight, I see on the agenda that you're going to repeal e equity. This is why we need it. This right here, all we've heard is why we need it. Dr. Andrews, I

090have no I I have no problem with you personally or professional. And we look for good things for you. But I can say this, you all did not do this right. You were wrong. You weren't transparent. You didn't do your advertisement. You didn't do your interviews right. And I have a master's degree in human resource. That's what I know what I'm talking about. But I'm going to say this to you and to the people in the peanut butter jack into the peanut gallery that says to us as black people that you all want to always bring up race card. But let me say this to you. If you don't deal the race card, we don't have it to play. Alicia [Music] Kaiser. Alicia Kaiser. Hi, Elisha Kaiser. District 1. I am reading an email from

091a staff member. Good evening. Thank you for offering to speak on behalf of our faculty and staff in Guchin County Public Schools. I have full faith that this this will be completely anonymous and have thus penned a letter. Here are the bullet points. Teachers are frustrated and confused by this board. There is absolutely no transparency with this board whatsoever. Fiscal responsibility is nothing more than a dream by this board. frivolous lawsuits and the superintendent debacle is and will continue to cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars that m and this money should be going to the children. They are an absent board for the community. Previous iterations of the board were present and welcoming. The way in which this board goes about its business is shady at best. Teachers do not feel like any

092of this will matter as our voices are never listened to or our opinions taken into consideration. Support for replacing the school board with individuals who will actually try to do what is best for this division and the students who should be on our should be our main beneficiaries. I hate that we have to be anonymous for this, but you are correct in your estimation of the feelings of those employed by GCPS at this time. And now I'm going to take a minute to provide my own thoughts. Firing a highly effective, respected black superintendent only to replace him with a white man at the cost of over $200,000 is fiscally reckless and morally troubling. Our schools are already underfunded. Yet this board chose politics over performance. The elimination of DEI alongside this decision only reinforces a

093message of exclusion and regression. Our students and staff deserve leadership that reflects our values of equity, accountability, and fiscal responsibility. We see what's happening and we won't stay silent. [Applause] Tina Winkler. Tina Winkler, thank you for allowing me the chance to speak. As a school administrator by trade, I'm very disturbed by the comments from the school board regarding an 83% uh proficiency rate for reading and math. That is not anything to be proud of. You should be striving for 100%. the way that you have gone about your business again as a school administrator, you are wrong. The fact that he's sitting up there right now and he's not even appointed until the 22nd is a problem. That's a problem. So, my advice to you is to get your house in order, to go back to

094the school lawyer that you had before that can train you on what you need to be doing. and the fact that you all can disscent, you can vote no, you can have discussion, but you don't because you have an agenda. You have an agenda. So, my advice to you is to get your house in order because if you don't, you're going to find people that are going to run against you when it's time. [Applause] Katie Brooking. Katie Katie Brooking. My name is Katie Brooking. I live in District 2. I am a graduate of Gushland County Public Schools. I'm the parent of a GCPS student and I'm a taxpayer. For all these reasons, I have serious concerns about the termination of Dr. Kromardi. But that's not why I'm here tonight. Instead, I'll be sharing the feedback

095of a member of the GCPS staff. To the members of the school board, I am writing today to express my deep concern and dissatisfaction with the recent decision to terminate our superintendent without cause. This action has not only shocked many in our community, but has also raised serious questions about the transparency and fiscal responsibility of the school board. Under the leadership of Dr. KMarti, our school division was thriving. He brought a wealth of experience in education along with unique expertise that helped shape meaningful progress in our schools. His thoughtful leadership and clear commitment to students, teachers, and families contributed to a positive trajectory for our district. Now, with his abrupt removal, our school system is faced with the significant financial burden of paying out a year's salary and benefits, an unnecessary expense that will undoubtedly

096impact the resources available to our students and classrooms. Additionally, the process of transitioning to a new superintendent brings further costs, disruption, and uncertainty. Furthermore, we are all left to sort out the emotional toll of why and how this could happen to a man who upheld and championed the school's mission. Uh, even more concerning is the lack of transparency surrounding this decision, the community deserves clarity and accountability, particularly when decisions of this magnitude are made behind closed doors. As public officials entrusted with the stewardship of our schools, it's the duty of the board to act in the best interest of students, staff, and taxpayers with openness and integrity. I respectfully urge the board to reflect on the long-term implications of this decision, both financially and in terms of public trust. Our schools, our families, and our

097students deserve leadership rooted in collaboration, not conflict, in accountability, not secrecy. Sincerely, a concerned parent and teacher. Please don't dismiss the concerns you hear tonight as simply a vocal minority. It is your obligation to render decisions based on public input. Listen to your constituents and do what's right. Our students deserve better. Do better. Jennifer Stroer. Jennifer Stroer. Hello, Jen Stroer, District 3. Thanks for having us all here tonight. Um, I'm going to read the letter that I sent you all because there's information I'd like the rest of the people to hear. And I want everybody to know that um, what people are referring to is the capital improvement plan meeting between the board of supervisors of the school board and Dr. Kremardi. I recommend everybody give yourself a day to listen to it little bit

098by bit by bit. It's it's a gem. But here we go. All right. So, this is a letter. Dear school board, after the meeting in which Dr. KMarti was fired. I spoke with Miss Robinson on the sidewalk outside the building. I asked, "Why did you fire Dr. KMarti? Why did you vote yes to fire Dr. Cromardi?" She answered, "He did nothing wrong." I asked, "Then why did you vote yes?" Robinson, they only needed three votes. Me, do you not know that you are allowed to vote no when they vote yes? Robinson, but they only needed three votes. it was going to pass. This is what uh Miss Sloan was referring to. Um I went on to plead that she could be the beacon on that deis that the students and others would look to to

099do what's right. That we would support her if she stood up and voted her conscience. We would support you and thank you and appreciate you even if the evil things they're doing pass. It matters if you stand up to them. It matters to the students to see an adult who is on their side defending and protecting them. And I know you love the students. She said, "Thank you." I can't convey the emotions. And Miss Robinson, I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but you know it happened. I came away feeling that this school board does not know that it can say no to its leadership. This school board does not understand that the question any discussion before a vote is not rhetorical. discussion is necessary. Maxwell and Robinson both looked mortified, sad, distraught before the

100vote to fire Dr. Kremardi. I can't see into their hearts, but I had first thought of writing to ask both of them to stand up and do the right thing. This school board is monstrous in its success at destroying the ideas of equity, which is giving students what they need to succeed. Diversity, we know monocultures don't survive. Look at the royal family. Diversity is strength in the garden, in thought. It's strength. It's strength in nature and everywhere. Line up our top students, then pull out any who are not white, straight, Christian. See how you've diminished that group. Inclusion is the third. This is simply the idea of the inherent strength of community and the healing power of belonging. You are destroying that in Gland. Your actions in firing without cause a qualified, effective, well-liked, experienced

101superintendent and replacing him with a less experienced man at a cost of 200,000 plus has done more to damage this county than any other. It's irresponsible and indefensible. You did not put out a notice so that others could apply. You clearly have two years a misser. Your time is up. School boards hire superintendent vote on policy and should let the experts do their job. You are so intent on furthering your political aims, you have effectively dragged each county public schools backwards. Congratulations. Do better. Ada Coington. Ada Coington. Good evening, school board members. I'm Aydah Coington. I live on Perkinsville Road in District Three. I moved to Gutland County 45 years ago. I raised three children here and now have a grandchild here in public schools. My children attended Gutland public schools and excelled. Outsiders would

102ask, "Why did they attend Gland schools? I defended our great school system. I still want the best for our students. We currently have a growing county with many diversified students and our school board represents all of them. Regardless of who elected the school board, you represent all of us. Major decisions should be considered with transparency after hearing what the population as a whole wants. I end with a quote from Fred Rogers, PBS. If y'all don't watch PBS, in times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are as important as our answers. Thank you, Vernon Fleming. Vernon Fleming. Good evening, Vernon Fleming. District three. I was always a fan of Guchon County Public Schools. I had

103three children to attend school and graduate from high school here. I felt that we had great teachers, great administrators, great superintendents, and a great school board. But something changed. We had a school board that had to censor a school board member. That school board member decided to sue the school board at a great cost to the county. And now the school board fired a superintendent midc contract at a cost of over $200,000. There's something toxic about the school board. So where are the students in all of this and all the hardworking teachers? I have a few questions that I would like to answer. I know we can't answer them now, but was the discussion about terminating Dr. Cromate conducted at a publicly announced schoolboard meeting or was it done under the radar of twoperson meetings?

104Was Dr. Armstrong contacted about the position before Dr. Commodi was advised about his termination. Was there any community input to Dr. Armstrong's hiring? Where's the transparency that you campaigned on? What is your vision for the school district? I would like to know. Where does the best interest of the children fit into all of this? And most important, do you think your actions over the past week promotes unity? Just look around the room. The answer is obvious. We need better from our school board. We need a school board that puts children first and listens to your constituents. Tyrone Mey Tyrone Mey. My name is Tyrone Meie. I have I live in Mannequin and I have three students currently attending Gland County Public Schools. Dr. Armstrong, first off, I want to say I am so sorry that

105you're coming in under this circumstance because no matter what you do during your tenure, it's always going to have a cloud over top of it. So I I wanted to take a second to speak tonight because of my concern. First and foremost, I am greatly greatly disappointed in this school board for the actions that have taken place. Uh you may have heard someone say, "Pastor, I pastor a church. I believe the Bible. The Bible says that wicked things and thieves operate at night." This meeting was took place in a closed situation where not a lot of people were made aware of it. This decision was made before that meeting probably even taken place. The timelines just do not add up. How do you fire a man on one Tuesday and have a whole another man

106ready to sign up for the position a week later? You have to have an open process to find a candidate. The fact of the matter is that this is an agenda to make Glling great again. And the problem with that is that Gland is already great. My grandma always used to tell me what's done in the dark is going to come to the light. We in the light right now. I am so saddened to find out that the Gooseland County that I grew up in, that I attended, this high school, has changed to this effect. that my children, one of which has graduated, I have three currently enrolled, that my children has to look back on their time at Gooseland County High School and public schools and say all of this took place. Let's look

107at everything that has taken place. We heard two words be mentioned often. Two words, your two words, without cause. without cause means no reason. We just also heard the followup to that was he did nothing wrong. We've heard people say here that we don't know all the facts. All the facts are presented to you without cause. So that means that there is an agenda behind this that you're not willing to share, not that you cannot share. And that's shame. Shame on you. You have run Dr. Cromati out of town. You have Mr. Mason leaving town. And now, as Miss Hob said, there's no representation here of a minority. Ei, you're working hard. Your time is up. Also, the fact of the matter is already had the funds set aside to pay. Pastor Fleming, your time

108is up. So, as I close this, I just want to say my demand on this board is that all of you resign. [Applause] hiring of Dr. Armstrong. Again, nothing against you, sir, but the unfair hiring of Dr. Armstrong that the fact that you didn't take the time to find a candidate, that means you wanted to put in your guy in the place. [Applause] Reverend Carolyn Robinson. Carolyn Robinson. Reverend Carolyn [Applause] Robinson. Good evening. My name is Carolyn W. Robinson and I proudly serve as the vice president of the minister's conference of Gushland and vicinity. I was raised here in Gushland. I live here in Gushland and I care deeply about what happens right here in this county. I have two grandchildren in the system. We have a community of churches that teaches our kids excellence,

109accountability, empathy, and integrity. Not just in words, but in how we treat all people. Honestly, some of our kids could teach this board a lesson or two. I am here this evening because something is not right. Something is not right when Dr. Crommani, a well-qualified black man, superintendent in this county, was fired without cause. Something is not right when a man who is qualified, respected, and making progress, and within a week's time, you are already negotiating a replacement. That's not transparency. That's a plan already in motion. Now, let me speak to you in your own language. Let me remind you of your own goals. You said you want to max maximize each student's potential. How can children maximize their full potential when strong leadership is snatched away in the middle of their journey? You claim

110you want to create engaging and responsive experience. everyone feel informed, included, valued, empowered. This process was none of those things. It wasn't engaging. It wasn't responsive. And the community certainly was not informed. Oh, what's done in the dark will always come to the light. You said you want to enhance and support the instructional and learning needs of all student staff. Well, Dr. Kamadi was doing that, but instead of his support, you gave him the door. Let's not forget your equity goal. You say you want to increase the availability of minority role models accessible to all students. Well, Dr. Kamadi was just that role model. He was the goal. He didn't increase he didn't increase availability. You you erased it. Now, let's get real. If this is a direction the board is going in, then I

111must tell you, you are off target. You are offt target on your own goals. You cannot say one thing in writing and do another in your actions. You can't just you can't just reach goals that you're acting underminingly. You can't promote equity with one hand and erase it with the other. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice [Applause] everywhere. So no more. We will not be silent. We are watching. We are showing up. And we are speaking truth to power." And that's exactly what I have to say this morning, this afternoon. And I say this plainly. Do not eliminate DEI. Do not strip away the very tools that help ensure fairness, representation, and opportunity for all students. If this board is truly committed to maximizing students potential, to

112creating inclusive environment, and to developing stronger characters like you say you are, then DEI is not something you cut out. It's something you live by. Because the truth is where you move. Your time is up. When you remove D, you're not erasing the program. You're erasing progress and you're turning your back on the very values you said that you define in the school board. So this isn't all about Dr. Kamadi. This is about every child in the county who needs to believe that hard work, qualification, and excellence will be valued and not discarded like a dirty tissue. [Applause] Don't let politics out that right is history. [Applause] Carrie Crowley. Carrie Crowley. Good evening. My name is Carrie Crowley. I am in uh District 2. I am going to share a few words from a staff

113member. I was floored to receive the sudden news of Dr. KMarti being fired. He has been a great leader and an advocate for all teachers needs. I felt confident in our county's ability to stay the course as best as we could with him as our leader. I felt confident in his desire to act as a leader who put his staff above anyone's agenda. Now I fear his willingness to be our voice and unwillingness to blindly follow a political agenda is what has ultimately caused him to be terminated. This move by this board sends a clear message to all staff at GCPS. Get on board or be replaced. It runs contradictory to what our school system has previously sought to represent, which is dedication to retaining our staff and focusing on quality, equitable education for all

114students. Ideals that I was proud to support. I'm no longer proud. I'm disheartened that with all the hard work and progress I have seen us make over the last few years is being undone so swiftly and with such little resistance. Signed a teacher with eight plus years of experience. I'm now going to add my own comments. As a community member, I moved here in 2020 during the middle of the pandemic. I searched every county within a 30 mile radius of where I relocated for work. I searched Powatan, Handover, Chesterfield, Henriiko, Louisa. I settled in Gland for one reason only. I have a child enrolled in Gushling County Public Schools. I wanted diversity because where I came from, there was none. Our entire county looked like the board. Sadly, my child did not know diversity in

115his own school system. He knew it because of our personal friendships with other people. Ladies, I'm not certain if you're aware. Diversity, equity, inclusion, oh yeah, and accessibility. You are all on that stage because of that. I am standing where I am because of that. Without that, none of you or I or any other person in this room outside of white males would have been able to vote, attend education, get a job, buy a house, buy a car, you couldn't have done it. And now what you are doing is showing every single woman, every single person of color in this school, in this county that that doesn't matter. Oh, accessibility. Those are ramps. Those are your, you know, um, IEPs, all of those things. But you go ahead. I know my time's up. I hear

116you, Miss Sherbone. I know I don't have much of a voice. So when you cut my mic, very few can hear me. But just understand my my representative. I've seen you at two games. Two. And I watched to read a book during the whole game when our boys basketball team actually won in overtime. Thanks for supporting us. [Applause] Beth Beth Tally Beth Tally. Hello. I am uh from Avery Point here in Guchin. And um I want to I read a letter and basically what I said and I want to say again tonight is that I was deeply saddened and disappointed and angry about the dismissal of Dr. Cromardy. Um the things that I've heard tonight, the things I saw in his letter, the things I saw in the response to me, thank you for the

117quick response, was that there seemed to be a difference in vision and philosophy. And what I saw in all of my interactions and observations of Dr. Cromardy was that he valued every single student, every single student, parents, every single teacher, all the staff, the community. He valued everyone and he supported each person and he didn't want to accept the 82% as being okay. I don't understand. So I saw his vision and his philosophy through his actions and through the response of all the teachers who worked with him. So my question is if his vision and philosophy was different from the boards, what is your vision and philosophy? Dr. Ma Pototts. Dr. [Applause] pots. Boy, they say old people don't have fun, but this is the most fun I have had in a long time. My

118name is Dr. Ma Pototts and I live at Avery Point. I'm here tonight in protest of your action to fire Dr. Cromati, a responsible school board member plays a crucial role in ensuring the effective governance and success of their local public school district. How's that done? Number one, a school board is responsible for setting vision and goals. And I would ask, what is your vision? So far, you have demonstrated a wal woeful lack of clear thinking on this point, and certainly not many in this room would agree that your goal setting has accomplished anything but chaos for this district. Number two, a school board is responsible for defining priorities, educational needs, and aspirations of the community and ensuring the district's resources are aligned to address them. How does this fact gel with the money already

119wasted on you know what as well as the money that will be paid to Dr. Kremardi. What educational priorities will go wanting because there is not money to support them? And number three, speaking of priorities, part of your responsibility is to conduct a thorough search process and select a qualified and effective superintendent to lead the district. I have no I no doubt that you are. But yet less than two days after you fired a qualified and effective superintendent, you did not conduct a thorough search. You did not comply with best practices. You picked someone you thought would bow to your wishes. That's right. And number four, part of your responsibility is to maintain ethical standards, adhering to a code of ethics, and acting with integrity, transparency, and in the best interest of all students. From

120what code did you select your standards and code of ethics? Where is the integrity, transparency and best interest of the students, parents, community members validated? And five, finally, you vowed you would act as a steward of this school district. I realize that this requires strategic thinking. Wow. Knowledge of effective policy and fiscal responsibility. Don't tell me my time's up. Community advocacy and collaboration with the superintendent. Your time is up. Community members, you have not met these expectations of good stewardship. And for this reason, you should step down. [Applause] Mary Payton Crook. Mary Payton Crook. Good evening. Um, I'm Mary Crook from District 2. Um, and I first want to say thank you to this crowd for being here tonight. Um, because this, uh, every time the school board makes a decision that harms marginalized communities,

121I feel like I'm in the wrong place. And I'm clearly not in the wrong place. You all are in the wrong place. Um, I'm I'm reading a letter from a Gutland um, educator who didn't feel comfortable enough to speak in front of you themselves. An educator who's been teaching for over 15 years. So, if you heed any words, I hope you heed these. To the school board, I have been a teacher in Guchin County for 15 plus years. Today, the sadness has passed and the anger has set in. In the wake of firing our amazing leader and student/teer advocate, Dr. Kamardi, it is clear that you all care more about power than the students in our schools. This is a misuse of funds. We are writing to you anonymously as you all have placed a

122fear into our school division and we teachers do not want to be targeted as we love our jobs and care for our students. However, I cannot stay silent about the things that matter and this matters. You all wouldn't approve paying for a new assistant principal role. You won't fund interventionists. You won't fund enough teacher roles to meet student needs, but you can pay out Dr. Kardi's [Applause] contract. You all should be ashamed of yourselves as you once again are not putting the needs of Gulan County students above your own. Thank you. Chrissy Watson. Chrissy Watson. Good evening. My name is Chrissy Watson and I've been a community member of Gling County for 11 years in Mannequin Sabbat. I'm here to implore you to use your position ethically and appropriately, keeping the needs of our staff

123and diverse student population at the forefront of all you do. As a former educator in the surrounding Richmond area and here in Gland County, I also stand here tonight to share with you the comments of a current educator here in our county who is asking for intentional support, transparency, and logical use of funds to be resourcefully used for educational purposes. Education is a education is not a partisan issue. Equity in education is excellent education and an educated, supported community is a thriving community. Your constituents are demanding that you write your compass and act accordingly. The following words are from a current Gutling County teacher. For over a decade, I have been a dedicated educator in Gland County Public Schools. I have poured my heart, energy, and expertise into this community's children because I truly believe

124in GCPS's vision to inspire and prepare the next generation to make a positive impact. Today, I write this statement with deep frustration and disappointment because it seems this board has lost sight of that vision. We are in the midst of a teacher retention crisis. In employee pulse surveys, teachers are pleading for support. Your teachers and administrators are stretched impossibly and unsustainably thin. Members of this board fought against a meager cost of living raise while Gland continues to lag behind the region in salary scale comparison. Not every grade level has access to support from reading specialists in our schools. In year two of the Virginia Literacy Act implementation, any student performing below benchmark on literacy screeners will be entitled to entitled to an individualized student reading plan. The law states that quote, "Every division will staff

125enough reading specialists to support intervention needs." In response, teachers and principles asked the board for an interventionist to help shoulder the burden of the required additional literacy instruction minutes, managing student reading plans, a reasonable request. The board dismissed it outright, saying the teachers will just do it. when between bell-to-bell lessons, between the endless demands beyond the scope of planning and delivering lessons that are stretching teachers to a breaking point, we hardly have time to eat lunch or use the restroom, much less squeeze additional reading individual reading plan minutes into our day. Your response makes one thing abundantly clear. You are grossly out of touch. This board remains willfully blind to our needs, funneling funds away from our schools to bankroll frivolous lawsuits and a superintendent buyout without consulting your constituency. Shouldn't those tax dollars be

126spent in ways that directly benefit our students to maximize the potential of every learner? Shouldn't the wasted tax dollars have gone towards staffing interventionists to help our struggling students to be proficient readers or staffing enough administrators to meet each school's needs or a cost of living raise to retain teachers who have better options in neighboring counties? The once proud recruitment motto, quote, "It's worth the drive," no longer holds true for Gland schools. Why would talented educators choose a district with lower pay, dwindling support, a reckless board that ignores community and employee input, passes a policy on a whim, and fires respected staff without cause. I leave you with this. Previously, I chose to stay in Gland County Schools because I truly believed our leadership put students first. I believe the board listened to, respected, and

127supported the teachers who give everything to help those students succeed. They used to. Now, in light of the priorities this board has chosen to uphold at the expense of integrity and trust, I am no longer confident in that assessment. So, my question to the board is this. Your time is up. Should we stay? Kelly Kelly Crockett Kelly Crockett Good evening. Uh my name is Kelly Crockett. I'm here tonight to um share concerns from a GCPS staff member. My concern is with the board's ability to buy out Dr. Kremard's contract and pay for a new superintendent, but not find funds for a GES assistant principal. The middle school is losing the dean of students to afford the assistant assistant principal at GES. Both positions are needed. GMS staff are beyond frustrated with the loss of the

128admin spot, especially when it was advocated to be another assistant principal and now we go without. Dr. KMarti pushed for the assistant principles. The school board said he would have to be creative and this is where we landed. Thank you again, [Applause] Pamela Johnson. Pamela Johnson. Sabrina Hope. Sabrina Hope. Good evening. Uh my name is Sabrina Hope and this is the second time I have spoken in front of this school board meeting. The first was because my daughter was bullied by three white students. The assault was videoed and put on social media and of course nothing happened. I received the same stupid looks from the same faces that are looking at me right now. And here I am again today for another issue, different situation, but same cause, which is racism. I have been a

129Gooseland resident all my life. I attended schools here. My two children attended schools here, and it's a shame that the county is just as racist now, or even more so than it was when I attended schools here. You all continue to show our children of color that they don't matter and that their voice is not important. The unjustified termination of a superintendent whose sole purpose was for every student to excel is beyond sickening. But yet the termination of you all would be very justified. [Applause] We will not just sit back and continue to be stepped on, stepped across, or be stepped over. We will not be silenced. We will be the voice for all of our children. and we will continue to fight. Our black children matter and it's sad that we are still fighting

130against racial discrimination. Once again, not surprised. You talk about order, but none of this was done in order. Gushland school board, you all should be removed. You all don't care about the students welfare, and you have no right to serve on our county school board. Sarah Beasley. Sarah Beasley. My name is Sarah Beasley. I live in Mannequin Sabbat. I have um three children in Gland schools, including Silus, who you heard from this evening. Um what I have heard what I have heard tonight by my neighbors in this room has absolutely nothing to do with fear-mongering, division, or victimhood, but instead uh advocacy and deep love for our children. Also, there is nothing bizarre or nefarious about an attendance this size. It reflects the pain and frustration this decision has caused. Um, on that note, this

131is an email shared um from a staff member of Gland Schools. Good evening, school board members. As a current teacher with Guchin County Public Schools, a parent of students in our schools, a taxpayer, and active community member, I am disheartened and ashamed by your decision to terminate Dr. for KMarti without cause. Although this may have been within your right as a board, your actions demonstrate a lack of consideration for both the community and the students who rely on the leadership. As a board who prides itself on being transparent, you really missed the mark. You held a meeting on a week when school was closed, when families were disconnected from school happenings to make a detrimental decision impacting students, staff, and our community. After you unanimously voted to terminate Dr. KMarti, you then immediately voted to

132approve contract negotiations with the candidate for superintendent. You were not transparent to your constituents at all. Clearly, you already had a plan in mind, leaving us to question your motives behind this decision. Hiring a new superintendent without any prior discussion with the community or even an opportunity for input from staff or parents feels dismissive. This decision should be one that reflects our core values, needs, and concerns of those directly affected, the students, parents, teachers, and staff. We deserve to have a voice. Yet, this process was handled in a way that feels hurried and with zero regard for us. In 2023, the board and a contracted company spent months gathering feedback from students, parents, teachers, staff, and our community to hire a great fit for GCPS, Dr. Cromardi. Last week, behind closed doors, the five of

133you did that without any input from the people you serve. You have been entrusted with the responsibility to serve the best interests of our community and most importantly doing what is best for kids. Is this what is best for kids? My own children see a school board who fired a qualified superintendent without giving a reason. They even asked if as a teacher I might be next. I had to honestly state with this school board in power, I do not know what will happen in the future of our schools and that scares me. My hope is that this board will take the necessary steps to address these concerns and work toward restoring and rebuilding the trust of this community. Our students and educators deserve better. We need leadership that is not only competent, but also accountable

134and transparent. Thank you. Janine Vasar. Janine Vasar. That's all good. I got all the time. Um, hi. Um, so I've spoken to you guys once before. Last time as a parent of tuition students. Um, a few days before the sneaky meeting, I actually bought a house in Gland. So, guess what? I vote now. Um, so in addition to paying for five years for my little girls to come here because Gland schools are that awesome, I've now even bought property because that's how committed I am to schools here and I vote in district 2. So, um, I was so I printed out the, uh, strategic plan. I have little postits and all that, but it's late. I want to start with a joke instead. So, have you guys heard that joke where it's like two guys

135are camping in the woods, a bear comes along, and so they run away and the one guy's like, "I don't think we can run from this bear. I don't think we can escape it." And the other guy says, "I don't need to run faster than the bear. I just have to run faster than you." Is that our new strategic plan? Because I'm kind of confused. It really looks like that whole um the 18% who aren't reading well, it's fine. The rest of them are good. like are we teaching our students to trip their peers so that they can then progress? Is the goal to win or is it some of these other things that I found? So let's see um Ubuntu Aulu proverb I am because you are community we all win or we all

136lose. A Kenyon proverb a man who uses force is afraid of reason. African proverb to go fast go alone but to go far go together. Don't trip the guy next to you to escape the bear. Work together. Also, I've noticed in these schoolboard meetings, because I always watch the um the recordings afterwards, there's a lot of Bible verses thrown around. We've had a lot of pastors, too. So, I thought I would throw out the one that's on the vanity plate of my car because my car makes me look like a godless heathen. But people don't seem to notice that actually my license plate is a Bible verse. Isaiah 11:17, "Learn to do right, seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the orphans, and plead the case of the widow." It is our

137job as educators, as Christians, as Americans, as humans to all work together and to go back for the ones that trip and fell and help them. Not to laugh and be like, "Great, that means I get to get ahead." DEI is not the enemy. That's us working together. This is about so much more than who is a superintendent right now and undoing all of our DEI stuff and wasting all kinds of money because it's fun. I really don't understand all that part. People are getting hurt. Kids are getting hurt. Obviously the superintendent who's left his career is going to be a problem. Dr. Armstrong, I as far as I know, I really like you. I feel like your career's now been hurt, too, because when we Google your name for the next 30 years, this

138is what's going to come up. And so I'm afraid that your career is stunted and I hate that for you. This is wrong. It's wrong on so many levels. I'm raising my kids to actually care about all of their peers and to do what's hard and what's difficult and not to just try to win. So I would really hope that you guys could do the [Applause] same. Karen Horn. Karen Horn. Good evening, Chair Moses and board members. Going to give a little information on the actual process of hiring a superintendent. So, in March 2023, Dr. was called to be chief of staff of the superintendent of public instruction. April 2023, the school board voted in public to engage BWP and Associates, a national search form that has successfully identified Dr. as a candidate in 2016

139to manage the search for the next superintendent of schools. This process was respected by board members Wright, Newman, Barefoot, Reed, Horn, and even Allen as key to a smooth transition, the continued success of the school division, the best way to respect the opinions of this community, and the best way to find highly qualified applicants. The search began with community engagement process to hone the leadership profile. The school system included an online survey. There were meetings with key leaders in the school and community members. There were also information posted regularly on a dedicated division website. After multiple interviews and second interviews with top candidates, we all determined that the right candidate for division superintendent Guchin County Public Schools was Dr. Michael T. Cromardi. I want to be very, very clear. The only DEI in this hire

140stood for distinguished dedication to public education, experienced classroom teacher, building administrator, central office division leadership, educated, innovative and intelligent. Dr. Cromardi was thoroughly vetted. He understood the importance of the established mission, vision, core values, and the three critical goals of the division school community developed strategic plan. He demonstrated all his personal values and dedication to his duties in both his words and actions. Even when faced with a school board who was intent on dictating their own agenda, Dr. KMarti stayed focused on maximizing the potential of every learner. the schoolboard members, you're not the superintendent. Best practice for school divisions include collaboration of the schoolboard members with the superintendent as he is the CEO instructional leader who is responsible for day-to-day operations of the school division. This school board did not work to collaborate and has

141not been transparent in this plan to terminate the superintendent and to replace him so quickly. The termination vote and announcement took place during the recent spring break when most staff were disconnected for family time and community members were also focused elsewhere. Your actions have embarrassed this community during a time when our amazing amazing teaching and support staff have options to sign contracts and work anywhere. Your time is up. Will it still be worth the drive? We the people have worked together long and hard to build a strong, welcoming, innovative school division that is the heart and pride of Gland County. It is my opinion that the wrong people were terminated and the termination of this board should be with cause. [Applause] Susan Lascallet. Susan Lascallet. Lisa Dearden. Lisa. Good evening. My name is Lisa Dearden.

142I live in District 2. I am the grandparent with full legal custody of a student currently enrolled in the Guchin County Public Schools. I'm here tonight because I'm deeply concerned about the recent firing of our superintendent. As someone raising a child in the school system, I have a vested interest in the stability, the integrity, and the quality of our leadership. What's happened over the last few weeks does not reflect the values of transparency, accountability, or fiscal responsibility that this board is supposed to uphold. Let me be clear, the decision affects real families. It affects our children. It affects the trust that we place in this board to do what's right for students, not what's politically convenient. Firing a well-performing superintendent behind closed doors without stated cause and with no community input is not only troubling,

143it's costly. The payout of over $200,000 could have gone toward teacher salaries, classroom resources, or support services our students actually need. Instead, we're left asking why. Why? and to have a replacement ready to go the very next week. I'm sorry you seem like a very nice man. I have never met you, but they are right. There is going to be a cloud over your head and I'm sorry for that. I really am. That raises even more questions about the transparency and whether this was premeditated. Where was the public process? Where was the accountability? I'm not here representing a party or an agenda. I'm here representing my child, my granddaughter, and every other child whose education and future depends on stable student focused leadership. The people of Gutland deserve answers, and better yet, they deserve to

144be included in decisions that directly impact our schools. I have lived here for 23 years. I've had the privilege of serving on many boards in this community and serving the public. I've had a lot of training on leadership and governance and board management and I can tell you there's one common tenant that every board member should uphold. Indeed, every leader should uphold where you have failed and that is that the appearance of impropriy is often worse than impropriety itself. Vanessa Randolph. Vanessa Randolph. I didn't think I ever would get up here. Good afternoon. Um to the chair and to the board. Um I'll give you a little bit of back information about myself. I am a native of Georgia, um, home of the Masters. So, I've been here 30 plus years and I have thoroughly

145enjoyed raising my kids here. My kids graduated from these schools, um, Gushon High School, four of them. And, um, one currently work in transportation. I think everybody know CC Dispatch. And she works very hard to make sure our children are safe. Um, with all that being said, I'm in District 2 also, and I've always been proud of Guam County since I've been here. So, when I go home, my family say, you know, I said, I got to go. I got to I got to go home. And they said, no, no, no, you can't. You, you know, this is home, Vanessa, you got to understand that this is home. I said, no, Gooseland is home also. And I have always been very, very proud to say that. And I have been proud of the education that

146my kids have received. I have been proud to participate in everything in Guusheen County. I have worked in all the school systems. Most people, if they've been around here for a while, they know me. I have done different things. If you call on me, if I haven't, if I can help you, I'll do it. Um, it's not a problem. But now, I am ashamed. I'm ashamed. And I shouldn't have to feel that way, you know. Um, because I have grandkids and stuff like that. and I want to see life better for them. I was in Georgia actually on um break when I got the news. I looked at Facebook and saw that he was um the superintendent was dismissed without calls and I was like without calls. I couldn't even discuss that with anyone. I

147couldn't even say anything to anyone at home about it because it just messed up my whole vacation. You know what? What you mean without calls? You understand what I'm saying? we are trying to it's like gooseen is trying to go back to the 60s. You know, I was um attended one of the um school board meetings and um when someone was complaining and saying that all this racism that was going on, I was shocked because when my kids were in school, they didn't have that. My kids spend the night at plenty of uh Caucasian household, white people, whatever you want to call, you know, and I didn't have to worry about my child. I I knew my child was taken care of. I knew they were safe. And trust me, I would not let my

148kids go any place uh unless I trust them. So, I had a whole lot of trust and and so this county is very very disappointing to me right now. And I had to say something because I met a man that I felt like was very qualified and he was working very hard and I'm very disappointed in you ladies. I really am. And you know, you know, they talk about peer pressure, but you all it and someone said earlier, it only took three people to really um that he would have been out and all of you guys nobody would sustain something wrong with that picture. There's no way in the world, you know, that's peer pressure. That is peer pressure. So, I hope you can sleep at night with yourselves because it's it's not it's not

149good to to to go alone to get along. You know, it's best to be I guess my mic is cut off, but it's best to stand to be alone. I don't have no problem standing up being alone because you have to, you know, you got to stand for something. If you stand for something, you you're going to, you know, you're not going to satisfy everybody. And I'm disappointed in you guys. You need to be you need to be Bob Harris. Bob Harris, Lauren Commtock [Applause] Good evening, members of the board. Dr. Armstrong, I'm Lauren Commtock and I'm in District 2. We all knew this day would come. It was just a matter of when. I do wonder if Dr. Armstrong understands what he's going to be dealing with. This school board is rogue. They actively

150work against the division's mission to maximize the potential of every learner. A mission that Dr. Armstrong helped develop from my understanding along with input from the community, administrators, teachers, and staff. It was widely and overwhelmingly supported. This school board undermines and lies to this community about our wonderful teachers and administrators. It's the school board that has a vision that does not align with this school division. This school board does not believe in bridging the gap. They don't believe in inclusion or equity in education. They don't believe that students should have access to the one-on-one support of an interventionist if they are not proficient. They are ableists and are the antagonist to what the core of public education is. Dr. KMarti embodied those core values and mission and I expect that Dr. Armstrong is prepared to

151advocate for all the children just as Dr. KMarti did. One of the biggest responsibilities of the role of the school board is to ensure our schools are funded. Instead, this board has now diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars away from educating the students through various political stunts, including this one, Angela Allen's vanity slap lawsuit, and redundant spending, like you did with the new legal team. This fiscal irresponsibility is negatively impacting our district. This abrupt and without cause change in administration midyear will disrupt our children's education. This is what incompetence looks like. This reeks of a backroom deal that was made before Dr. Kamardi was fired. This board swore in on a code of ethics that they would render all of their decisions based on appropriate public input. And this board has a history of passing

152policy on first reading and one of the times without even having public comment on the agenda. Dr. KMarti was hired after surveying the community and approved enthusiastically even by one of the members of this current board. This board doesn't even respect the community enough to allow for public comment before they vote to make such a dramatic change that will impact our kids. For the record, I could see that two of you were very uncomfortable voting to fire Dr. KMarti. Just as I've seen discomfort in the past, like when leaving the VSBA and even on policy JA, I just want to say that if you voted yes just because you thought your vote wouldn't matter, you are wrong. While your vote may not have changed the outcome, it matters to your constituents to see you doing

153the right thing. It matters to the students to see you putting them first. In normal times, I would get up here and say that I expect better from you. But the reality is I knew you'd be this reckless. However, now you've taken things too far and we are tired of your chaos. [Applause] Steuart Inky. Steuart Inky. I have three children in the Genon schools. Uh in the fall I have four. 12 years ago I took on a failed elementary school in a very poor part of Arizona. The state gave us what they said was a very aggressive goal. They wanted 36% proficiency from our school. Before that school year started, I learned all the names of my kids. I knew every student at my school. I knew their parents' names. I knew their names. I

154knew where they lived. We did home visits. And when we got that goal, we didn't think it was good enough. And we worked hard. My teachers worked hard, my students worked hard. And that whole year, we worked. And at the end of the year, we blew way past that 36%. We were 67% proficient. I threw a party. I told my kids how proud I was of them. I told the teachers how proud I was. And then I went in my office and I cried because I knew I knew the kids I had failed. And that afternoon, I sat down with my assistant principal and we started putting a plan together so that we wouldn't fail them again. What I've learned in education and what I've learned working with children and adults is that children thrive

155when they can. If they're not thriving, it's not for a lack of will, it's a lack of skill. Our job as educators is to create the environment where children can thrive. It's to create the place and to give the educators the knowledge they need and the tools they need so that they can help children thrive. Our children aren't thriving. There's five kids at my bus stop. I want to know which one of them doesn't deserve to be proficient. Which one of them doesn't deserve to know how to read, to know how to write, to know how to do the math they need to be successful? When I was an educator and now as I volunteer as a a courtappointed special advocate for kids, we are always guided by what's in the best interest of the

156children. I can't see how doing this was done in the best interest of my children. And so I ask in the future that you keep that in mind. Draiscoco. Draiscoco. So, I'm coming up here as a grandmother. I have three grandchildren in the Guland area. I don't have to tell you how we despise what you've done because it's been told over and over. What I want to say is that I'm looking at you and I see no remorse and I see no conjures. You're sitting up there with sanctimonious, self-righteous, entitled superiority and you think that you have control. Well, the control is now going to be given back to us with all these people with the same thoughts. We need to get together as a group and we need to fight stuff like this because

157our kids do deserve better. And I I know people are saying, you know, you you're great and whatever. I see collusion and I think you were in on it. So, I don't have any respect for either and I think we need to fight it. [Applause] Kaylee Bowens. Kaylee Bowens. Good evening. My name is Kaylee Bowens and I live in District 2. When DEI removal is mentioned, wheelchair ramps often come up. As a parent of a child who uses a wheelchair, I feel uniquely qualified to speak on this. I checked board docs and saw that the GCPS equity policy was adopted in May 2019. From May 2019 to May 2024, while having an active equity policy, my daughter Hadley still could not play safely on school playground on rainy or muddy days. Parts were inaccessible, the

158paths were tricky, and her wheelchair could tip. We also had an unreliable lift bus that broke down and often smelled of burning diesel. A year ago, I attended a schoolboard meeting where GCPS employees gave powerful speeches asking for a new bus and more playground funding that would allow for adaptive and inclusive equipment to be purchased. The board approved it unanimously. After the meeting, I thanked Angela and Karen, and I admitted that I thought the board would say no. Angela replied, if I'm paraphrasing, "Of course we approved it. We wouldn't deny equipment that lets all kids play together." Shortly after the new bus was approved, I've been checking the board docs and I've also seen where the word equity was removed but replaced with the word accessible and the language has stayed the same or gotten

159stronger. Miss Robinson joined our special education advisory meetings and brought genuine passion and support for our kids. She expressed her love for special education and encourage us to seek school board support. There are currently job positions for special education teachers on the Guchin website and I hope that more can be hired. From my view and prior maybe to April 1, this does not respect this does not reflect a board trying to limit student resources. Removing DEI seems to be something schools across Virginia are doing right now to keep funding. But I need to remind you that a document on board docs does not define the hearts and intentions of those working here. I want to remind the board that you have made impactful changes that benefit kids and just because the document has been removed

160does not mean that we want to abandon the practices. That said, the board and superintendent must do better with communication and community involvement. If you check, there are very few direct messages from school leadership during this school year. It's okay to say that we're not great and that we're making errors and that we want to have high expectations and push for greatness. GLA was recently celebrated for being ranked 12th in the Commonwealth and this is actually lower than past rankings. We want to spend money to responsibly to support kids. I want to hear the good that we are doing and the areas where we're pushing to improve. What problems are we solving? How can we support the mission? I want direct communication from board members and GCPS leaders who you are, how you want to

161make Guam better. You are allowing for your narratives to be written on your behalf by not engaging openly in our community. The school board, the division, and the county must work together open and honestly to present a united front for all of our students. A little creativity can go a long way. We have lost the village support. We are all neighbors who want our children to grow up to be successful adults. Gone are the days of devices devices divis bad decisionmaking behind us and we need to work together to build Gland better for everyone. Nothing makes a bigger impact on the community than a school division. You all have been entrusted to make decisions that will have impacts for years to come. Thank you for taking my thoughts into consideration. I'm going to try my

162best with this last name and if I mess it up, I'm sorry. Charlotte Geon. Good evening. My name is Charlotte Geian. I live in district three. I was on vacation when the news got about the firing of Dr. Karate and my junior who's in G uh high school here. First thing she said, "Oh, what happened?" Dr. Marty is so nice and I don't know what to tell her. There has to be a reason. And I know you're hiding behind personnel and all this kind of stuff. And you know, maybe there was a parting of the ways that was agreeable, but I don't think so. What it looks like out out is that you replaced a black man with a white man. And I hate that. And sir, I don't know when you applied for this

163job. Yeah, I would like to know when you applied for this job because if I can tell her they found somebody else they wanted, then I can say that it looks like that was the case. This does not pass the smell test. [Applause] Grant Cole. Um, hello. My name is Grant Cole. I'm a senior. Oh, I'm a senior here at the high school. I've lived in Gutland my whole life. I'm a District 2 resident. Um, I I know what community looks like. I was raised here. As I said, I've lived here my whole life and I absolutely adore the people in Gland there, the people who made me who I am today and I'm extremely worried that it's been a while now coming, but it's really eroding away more and more each day. Um, I've

164been working with the PTSA for about four years now in total through student council, other organizations, uh, planning events, and we always had time a hard time working with schoolboard affiliates and members to get community events passed through the school that would build this community back up. Uh, when Dr. Kumari did come in, he gave me something and that one thing was hope. Um, and I did not have that before them. Um, I remember him inviting me down to a town hall at the First Union Baptist Church where he told us and everyone else there expecting it, uh, that there would be an open discussion between the citizens of Gland who were worried about issues at the time, Dr. Kro Marty and also the school board who was invited. Um, they did not show up.

165Yep. And I feel with this last meeting that occurred behind closed curtains that it it is the final curtain to be lifted that we know what the agenda is and we're done with it. Um uh I don't know if I'll be in Gula much longer. I'm about to go to college. As I said, I'm a senior. But through all the time I've been here, I've had Bark's values pushed on me. the echo principles, all the stuff that you guys, I'm sure, believe in. But I really felt like the one through true thing I learned from being a product of the Gulam school system was what community is. And this is not it. [Applause] JD Wright. [Applause] Good evening board members. Dr. Armstrong. Um, honestly, I never write down any sort of comments before I get

166here. One, because three minutes. Um, two is because I realize that so much of what's going to be said in evenings like this is going to cover what I want to say. But I had a conversation earlier with Mrs. Robinson. I appreciate her time very much. And I told her then, and I'm going to stay true to it, that when I speak in public, I don't want to do anything but be positive. I want to do what I can to try and help us accomplish our collective mission. That mission is to take care and to maximize the potential of every one of our learners. To that end, I would like to offer some advice. You guys need somebody better advising you. You need somebody perhaps a professional organization maybe that you joined, maybe that you

167left that could help you understand a how to run a meeting, b how to speak in public. Not that I'm setting a great example at the moment. and and see how to interact with people both before, during, and after the decisions that you make. I know that you guys have every right to do the things that you do when you vote. The people gave you that power. I hope that you use it wisely, but I also hope that you find some good advice. I know Dr. Armstrong, I've known him for a long time. If he gives you some advice, if he suggests a better way to approach something that you're going to do either way, but a better way to communicate, a better way to be a part of the community, I suggest that you

168take it. Thank you, Michael Newman. [Applause] Madame Chair, members of the board, Dr. Armstrong, I wrote a packet of things I wanted to say tonight. It follows on the heels I'm District 4. It follows on the heels of a message to my representative saying that I was alarmed, saddened, and disappointed with your actions last week and for apparently no good reason. But I've heard nothing back from my board member. I was a member of the last school board that has been badly talked about several times tonight and we did great things. And a current member and other members of the board are here tonight. We believed in everything we did. We believed it was the best thing for all children. Not that things can't change or be done in a different way. But I'm here

169tonight because we were the board that selected Dr. KMarti. We interviewed multiple candidates that had been recommended to us as Mrs. Horn said and for everything she said about an excellent teacher, an excellent administrator, all the other things. That is why we chose him and sat before the audience that night and said, "This is who our next superintendent will be." We selected him with cause. You dismissed him without cause. And I'm disappointed in that. [Music] Mark Weaver. Good evening board members and Dr. Armstrong. My name is Mark Weaver. I live in Sandy Hook. I'm a Genon graduate of 2016. A strong supporter of the Gutsen Tech program has put me forward both in the heavy construction industry and as I'm moving towards an a industry as well. Lord, I come tonight to offer encouragement. What

170must feel like a fight ring month after month. I'm sure the $79,000 a year makes you question monthto month if it's worth it. But continue because you know what you're doing is right. Two years ago, we had a board with views quite contrary and frankly insane by standards of even 20 years ago. You all got out in the community. You put in the hard work to inform and combat the insanity. And against the loud attacks of the left, you won in large numbers. And don't forget that. In Romans, I've been respectful, so I ask that you do. In Romans 13 1-3, every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except for God, and those which exist have been appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of

171God. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Lord, your job is simple. Understand that one uh there is an abs there is no absolute authority except God alone. and those who exist in earthly authority are appointed by him. Two, praise what is good and punish slashdo away with what is evil. It was an evil thing for us to lie to children and tell them that they can change gender that God alone has defined. It was an evil thing to further lie and allow them to use bathrooms and put other children at risk. It was an evil thing to elevate people based on DEI standards and not qualifications for a job. And if Dr. Kumardi wanted to keep those evil practices in place, then it was the duty of

172the board, the appointed authority to remove I asked you to be respectful. Do not fear people who have no fear of God. Fear God alone. [Applause] To the former board members who have caused nothing except division in the communities. As I told some of you in 2023, you are accountable to not only we the people, but to God in November of 2023. We held you accountable and voted you out of office. Now you must repent of the evil that you advocated for while there. Confess it and turn to God. Board, pay no attention to these potters when they come to tell you how to run our schools when we so clearly voted them out. Not because of the blood of Jesus. Praise the Lord for that. So to the so-called watchd dogs who are nothing

173more than an annoying yipping chihuahua, you have nothing who barks at everything with no authority. You advocate for the most evil and vile things. No fear of God and it terrifies me for you honestly. Um if you do not repent, you will face eternal separation. friends, Democrats, Republicans, hear me clearly when I say this. We all stand equally condemned before God. So I I hope and pray that what I say is not falling on death ears. Meredith, you got to do something. Please show respect. You are adults. Feel like you're I feel like Kristen Chapman. Good evening, school board. Um I am Kristen Chapman. Uh I've been in Guchin County for 18 years, a member of district 2 and a parent of two neurode divergent children um in the middle school and high school. Tonight

174I'm reading an email from a staff member. Respectfully, I would like to thank you for your dedication and commitment to our Guinland public schools division. We're a diverse group of citizens and our needs for our students are ever changing and growing. The challenges of meeting these needs as a board must be both time-consuming and challenging. This past week, when I heard the news of the firing of Dr. Michael KMarti, it gave me great pause. I am a current teacher in the GCPS school system and I have been for many years. I have worked under five county superintendent and I count Dr. KMarti as one of the best. He has been a trusted leader of the students, teachers, staff, parents, and a listening ear to the issues and demands of everyday changes in education. He has

175also been a true leader to all of the leadership teams across our county. Dr. KMarti came to our school division during a time of change and growth, and his motto has been quote, "Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work together." Staying strong together has been one of his greatest impacts on our school division. It's been clear from the beginning of his employment that he is here for one cause and only one cause to offer his insight, care, and leadership to everyone. Dr. Kumardi has been a true servant of trust and care and has quickly taught me the tone and essence of what our school division strives to provide, a place for everyone to feel safe and secure in their educational experience. Dr. Kamardi sees beyond test scores and popular trends and general overviews.

176He sees everyday nittygritty of what needs what the needs are of the school division and that it is the students themselves, their needs and their security. His voice and vision are clear and he is a man of integrity and care. I find his leadership to be exceptional. This has been my experience. Beyond the tragic loss of a great superintendent, another worry is the fact that the children are watching. You may feel that the students are unaware of the of the sudden shift of power from one superintendent to another, but the lesson that they will learn is this quote. When you do not when you don't see eye to eye with others on certain matters, simply get rid of the other person. End quote. We as educators work daily to bring all students together from all

177genders, walks, faiths, and diversities and focus on finding ways to compromise, to make room for each other's opinions and beliefs. We make a place for everyone to feel welcome and valued. We don't pick and choose. We don't bring our own agendas to the table. And if you don't agree, then you're fired, banished, cast away, and ultimately replaced. We teach children to embrace differences, not mock, ridicule, and dismiss them. I have two more paragraphs. I uh I ask that you please listen to them. My question is each of to each of you is simply this. What is your path moving forward? Where are you taking us? What is the agenda that you have planned for all of us? What are the goals that you're trying to accomplish alone on this path with a new superintendent? What

178is your main agenda? And most importantly, does it allow for all students to feel secure and safe or just the just the majority? This board's behavior has been close-minded, and the path ahead appears unclear and murky. Faith in what you have been entrusted to do seems to be shaken. When a man of great standing is fired and replaced without warning, the stench of injustice surfaces. We can all smell that stench if we are totally honest. I believe you. You five can as well. The children are watching and the lesson they will will learn is wrong on all accounts. Having power to accomplish the goals for others is a heavy position. It brings great openness and integrity along with listening ears and vision. This past action on behalf of Dr. KMarti has shaken our community and

179appears to be unethical. Our GCPS division deserves leaders who are who lead for all of the people, not for one owns agenda. If there are important issues that have not been discussed in the removal of Dr. Marti, we beg you to have to hear. We beg you to hear your reasons. Have we all been duped into stronger together relationship? As much as I would have loved to read this letter aloud at the schoolboard meeting, your actions have now replaced my trust with fear. What can you do as a school board to regain that trust within this [Applause] community? Done. Take a bio break. All right. Um, we're going to take a bio break right now and be back in 20 minutes. Okay, the school board is back in session. Please take your seats. It turns

180out we have a couple of more um people who would like to speak that didn't sign up. So um Miss Harris, Kevin Davis, [Applause] Hello everyone. Hello Gland. Uh my name is Kevin Davis and I wanted to take a moment to speak. Um I am a graduate of 2017. Um and many of in the community may know me from various things. I used to uh act right here on this very stage. It's where my career started. Um many may know me from serving as minister of music at St. James Baptist Church and other churches that I've done around the community. And uh most obvious people may know me from being on Survivor season 46. And one of the things that I had great pride in when I went to go play that wonderful game in

181front of the entire world was getting to tell them to make sure that they put Guchin, Virginia beside my name because I was so proud of this place that I was so proud to be from this place. Many people that have graduated with me are very happy to be gone. They they've had struggles here and they don't want to be here any longer. I have always held the belief that this is a place that I feel that is home. It will always be home no matter where I go. And I said that no matter how successful I get in this world that I would always come back and know what's happening here so that I can pour into the place that made me. Because if I, a black man amongst a room full of people

182that don't look like me, can make it and do something, then I know that there's another black child somewhere that can make it and do something and become something and get out of this place and do wonderful things to change the world. And so it is very I'm very very passionate about this. And and it it is hard for me to come back here and to hear the heartbreak that is in the room in this community that I love. I used to go to work at Food Line and certainly go now and see people shake hands, white, black, old, young, every there's community here. And what's harmful and hurtful is to hear the community crying out in pain. And what I have seen from some of you today is a lack of of empathy for

183what the community is saying. And I understand that you all have the your own thoughts and processes of how you do things and how the board is handling things. But the community is saying we are in pain and we are hurting and we are frustrated and we are confused. And I as someone who has always been proud of that made the entire world know that we are here am saying that I don't recognize this place right now. And that's harmful to me. It's hurtful. And I just hope that you all do genuinely listen to what people have said. And I know people are yelling and screaming and that that's clouded and and you you may get abrasive when people do those things to you. I do understand that. But I do hope that you can

184peer through the anger and not not confuse passion for aggression. Do not confuse people's desires to make this place better for for I don't even know what word I want to say. I'm I'm so filled. But please do not confuse passion for aggression. Please know that we love this place and we are here because we love this place, not because we despise this place. It is not a partisan issue for anybody in this room. It is a bipartisan thing. And DEI, the opposite of diversity is uniformity. The opposite of equity is inequity. The opposite of inclusion is exclusion. And if that's what you are pushing for, then that is not the place that I call home. It is not the place that we want to be home. And I pray to God that you all

185listen to what we've said tonight. God bless you and thank you for your time. Delbert Horn. I live in District 2. I'm not talking about black, white, red, or blue tonight. I'm talking about a color everyone here can agree on. Green. I have three examples of this board's misuse and waste of our hard-earned tax dollars. First is $40,000 of legal costs brought on when a current board member could not collaborate professionally with the last board's fellow members and sued them. Of course, you all know she lost her vanity lawsuit, but the legal defense fees still had to come from the division's insurance and operating budget. Second, this board in December all voted to hire a separate independent legal firm to specifically represent them apart from the legal firm that represented the division for over a

186decade. The justification given by the member that already demonstrated her legal incompetence was that it was in the case the board had a legal issue in conflict with the division. That should scare all of us. Was this paving the way for this board to sue the division? I wouldn't be shocked. The third reason is why most of us are here tonight. The first two examples of misuse of our tax dollars are just drops in the bucket compared to this. Because of this board's inability to professionally collaborate with a superintendent, that one of them participated in interviewing and hiring. They all voted to fire him without cause. Impatience and incompetence of this board triggered the severance clause costing us, the taxpayers, a quarter of a million dollars. That's salary, benefits, and retirement. What's wrong with the

187leadership of this county? Why can't they work with and keep good administrators? Not just the board, but the supervisors as well. Why are they wasting our money on severances? As somebody else said, jobs with Gutland schools used to be worth the drive. That was from a teacher anonymously. We've heard that before. But the hostile work environment this board is creating is changing that perception at the worst possible time. Teaching contracts have not gone out yet for signature. The jobs are out there. Not many citizens paid attention to this board until tonight, but teacher resignations were up 150% last year. If we lose more good teachers, our students, our school ratings, and eventually our home values will suffer. Like the market falls from the top or quick, but recovery from this can take a decade. This

188incompetent board has neither been fiscally conservative nor transparent. the very promises that they voted on. Thank you. What's your name? Robin Lawson, District 2. Good evening, board members. I'm here tonight to express deep concern that schoolboard members have established a pattern of behaviors that are unethical, fiscally irresponsible, and most importantly, endanger the educational welfare of our children attending GCPS. Each of you are elected public officials sworn to represent your constituents and place the welfare of our children above any loyalty to interest groups or political party. You are elected to communicate public reaction regarding GCPS operations and act in a manner that facilitates open communication with the community. You are elected to have integrity in all matters. Despite these obligations, you have operated in ways that are overtly pit political and sabotage communication. Although each board

189meeting hosts a public comment period, you have arrived with prepared statements that clearly demonstrate you have already made your decisions and you are unwilling to take public comment into consideration. I'm fairly confident that my confidence that my comments tonight will fall upon deaf ears at the level of the deis. The actions of this board are shameful. We are losing excellent educators and staff as a direct result of your policy decisions. In all of the schoolboard meetings I have attended since this board was elected, I have yet to hear a single policy decision that benefits the children of the county. Instead, I see you passing policies that limit what our children can read, limit their individuality and expression of self, limit their safety in both the classroom and at home, and limit their ability to feel

190included as part of the larger school family. The actions of the board have been financially irresponsible and are not only costing taxpayers, but limiting the funding available to further our children's education. You have an ethical responsibility to do better. Do better for our staff and teachers. Do better for this district. And most importantly, do better for our children. Uphold your fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of this county. Start adopting policies that actually benefit children. act like publicly elected officials who should be role models of good citizenship. I'll close tonight with one of the most powerful statements that any person in a leadership role can make. I was wrong. Okay, public comment is now closed. Um, Madam Chair, may I make a comment? Yes. Um, thank you all. We've heard from several of you that you

191think that we're not showing empathy or that your comments are falling on deaf ears or that we have somehow acted in a manner that is unethical. Um, there's a couple of things that were said during public comment that are specific examples that I I just want to stand. um to make sure that the record is corrected. Um young man, you mentioned the gathering at um First Union Baptist Church, I believe it was. We specifically asked Dr. KMarti if he would like us to join him for that event and he declined our invit our offer to attend. He said he had it. So I just it's important because if there's a perception if there's a perception in the community then it needs to be based on factual information. It can't be based on one perception. It

192must be based on the facts. We can all have our own opinions, but we can't have a different set of facts. I apprec I appreciate that it feels defensive. It is heartfelt because when also and I would be happy to share that with you. Um also we've heard about this board's inaction to support teachers. I was serving as chair and Miss Moses was serving as vice chair when a year ago we went to the board of supervisors and successfully advocated for a 5% market pay adjustment for all of our teachers. That move that moved Guchin County into the median which was a big deal. We continue to advocate for that because we value the work of the teachers in this community. Why are they quitting? Also, I would like to This is not a two-way

193dialogue. No, it is not. Also, for the benefit and respect for Dr. KMarti, I have enjoyed working with him. I was part of the board that hired him. But tonight guys, you've turned his education, his qualifications, and his contributions to the color of his skin only. And that is unfortunate. Also, I will share that the members of this board are not five white women. There is a Jewish woman, there is a Lebanese woman, and there is a Vietnamese woman serving on this board. So there's some diversity, believe it or not, that is representing our community. I also am a fourthg generation member of this county, so I understand how much this appears to have been done in some manner of impropriy. It's important because in the Commonwealth of Virginia, local school boards are charged with

194the supervision and governance of public education within their divisions per Virginia code section 22.1-28. The responsibility includes establishing policy, approving budgets, and most critically ensuring that the leadership of the school division aligns with the board's vision for educational excellence and student success. As defined under Virginia Code, section 22.1-70, the superintendent serves at the pleasure of the school board, and as Mr. Right. So accurately stated, it is both the right and the responsibility of the school board to evaluate and act on leadership needs in the best interest of the division per Virginia code section 22.1-79. The former superintendent recently issued a public statement which said in part, "I have long recognized the fundamental misalignment between my leadership philosophy and vision for the board and the direction the school board has decided to pursue. I appreciate his

195cander and acknowledge this recognition of philosophical and directional divergence. An effective working relationship between a superintendent and a school board depends on shared values, trust, and a common vision. When such is no longer present, a leadership transition, however difficult, becomes necessary to ensure forward momentum and organizational health. I sincerely thank the former superintendent for his service and wish him the best in his future endeavors. It is important for the public to understand that the contract under which the former superintendent was employed was written, negotiated, and approved by the previous school board of which I was a member. Of which I was a member. The current board is legally obligated to operate within the terms and conditions of that contract. The decisions of this board have been guided by these contractual obligations, applicable laws, and a

196commitment to act respectfully throughout this process for the benefit and privacy of all involved. I must also reaffirm that personnel matters are confidential. While I understand because I have been on the other side of that deis. While I understand your frustration, your anger, your sadness, your concern, the other members of this board and I are bound by federal and state laws that prohibit the discussion of these matters in public. This is not only a legal requirement but a matter of professional ethics and respect for the individuals involved. It is disappointing and troubling for our community to be in this moment. We are witnessing the efforts of something that has been very public comment period is closed. Miss Hobbs. Thank you. This [Applause] This this narrative this narrative that this boy this narrative we're done. [Applause]

197The public comment period is closed. Miss Hobbs, she needs to be removed. She needs to be removed. She's got to be removed. Dr. East. [Applause] [Music] Let's adjourn the meeting. Let's just adjourn it. Madame Chair, may I please say something? Sure. Um the the community wanted transparency and they wanted the schoolboard members to speak, but we can't speak. It it if if a school board member is trying to speak and we listened, we listened. Um Madame Chair, I say that we go ahead and move on with the meeting. Yes. Okay. Okay, it is now time to go on to um policy update first reading. Order. [Music] Good evening, Madam Chair, board members, Dr. Armstrong, Miss Harris. Um not many policies tonight. Excuse me. Hi. Um, could we please have quiet, please? If you if you

198were not quiet, I will have to ask that you be removed. Could you please remove her? Okay. Shall I move on? Okay. Um, I really only want to point your attention to one of the policies, KBE. KBE looks like there is a lot of change here, but there is no substantive change whatsoever. It's really just for legibility. That's all I have for you tonight. Okay. Thank you. All right. We are now to the consent items. Board members, um, would you like to approve the items as a slate or to divide the slate? Do I have a motion? Either way, Madame Chair, I move to approve the consent items as a slate. Okay. It has been to approved as a slate. Is there a second? I second the motion. Okay. It has been moved and seconded

199to approve the items as a slate. Is there any discussion? Yes, I would like to discuss the equity policy. Many people have been asking about what our vision is and the Gulam vision is inspiring and preparing the next generation to make a positive impact. The mission is to maximize the potential of every learner. The vision and mission can mean different things to different people. The last school board had the same vision and mission and what they thought was in the best interest of children is different than what this board finds is the best interest of children. I used to be on that side of the deis and uh few years ago before the election it was a different group of people on that side of the deis and on this side of the deis. Um,

200I can look at that vision and mission and see back then I disagreed with the board at the time because when my daughter started sixth grade in middle school here, opening up her laptop and finding R-rated movies available to her, Nrated movies available to her. I have videos of it still. I have pictures of books that were available to her in the middle school library. Two people having oral sex images for her to see. I don't think that is the vision that I ascribe to. I've heard a lot about tolerance and um inclusivity and equity and diversity. Those are three wonderful words that our country has welcomed so many people to this country. My mom was a Vietnamese immigrant and those words are very meaningful to all of us sitting up at the deis as

201well as they're meaningful to you. It's just there is a difference in how we approach those words. And I really appreciate the people on the other side that disagreed with me that actually came and had a personal conversation with me and we actually didn't agree on some things but there were some things we did could find commonality like our belief my my religious beliefs that has been mocked and made fun of for having beliefs being called a Christian nationalist because I believe in God in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That is not that when I have not forced it since I've been on the board. What have I passed? What policies have I pushed? Okay, so the vision and mission can mean different things to different people. I stood on the stage right before

2022023 November election and made some commitments to the community during the Gland Chamber of Commerce for forum that everyone was invited to to attend. The question that was asked of me, the the question that night that I um made a commitment to was the the question that was asked that night was, "How do you plan on addressing the most pressing challenges facing Gulan County Public Schools today?" And I'm not going to read all of these remarks because I and I but I'll make it public on my page that I have so you can read what I said that night. But that's what people I I was very clear and transparent of who I was. So it was about responding. So I'm going to get back to equity. I'll put this on my on my page

203so you can read where I stood, what my vision was and what the commitments that I um are I'm committed to to follow. Um but the equity piece there are I want to explain where I personally I'm not speaking for the whole board speaking for myself how I came to the conclusion that this the taking those three words and putting it into the program that has been implemented in this country since 2019 we've had it in our school. I have based my decision based on research and I will make this available to everybody. And I also made it um my decision based on the testimony of a DEI trainer in um a Pennsylvania college that decided not to to go forward anymore because it brought he saw for himself it was bringing more division and

204hostility between the races because people were so worried about every phrase that they would say would be considered racist or privileged or um not the right thing that words became so sensitive to be said that people were avoiding talking to each other because they would be called different labels. So just some of the pieces I won't name them all but I have a summary of um articles led by lead researchers um from different colleges from Syracuse College to Harvard um to to um University of Michigan. These are all um articles that have been put out to show how DEI has not um got the results that it it has was meant to have. In fact, it's created more division, more racism, and I I will definitely make it make it available. And I'll actually make

205it the digital piece available because it has all the links to the periodicals that you can read for yourself and um take into account what what you your own perspective on it. Um, but I do want to put out there as one constituent said tonight that pretty much us taking away that language because it is required for our to keep our federal funding. We have a non-discrimination policy that is throughout many policies and it's available for the public to go through and look at all the policies that have this statement in it that the Guchin County School Board is committed to non-discrimination with regard to sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race, color, ethnic and natural national origin, disability, religion, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, child birth, and related medical conditions, military status, genetic information,

206or any other characteristic protected by law. This commitment prevails in all of its policies and practices concerning staff, students, educational programs, and services, and individuals and entities with whom the board does business. This preceded the equity that was put in place in 2019. This phrase that I just read protects the rights of all people no matter what they car label they carry. And it is throughout lots of policies in our schoolboard policy. Policy JA policy JB policy GBA JFHA. So when we say that we're taking away a policy to protect our federal funding, but also because many people have asked what is the endgame? If you hire somebody that is the diversity, equity, and inclusion director, where is the end point where we finally reach that goal? So that for for those reasons, for the

207research and for the reasons that it is becoming more divisive and from a diversity, equity and inclusion trainers testimony, that is why I am making the decision that we we take that policy out. Don't Okay. All right. Is there any other discussion? hearing none. All those in favor of um approving the the consent item as a slate say I. I oppose say no. Any abstains? Okay. Then we have a approved consent agenda. Uh there's an action item. Madame vice chair, do you have a motion? Yes. I move to approve a designated space on the division's websites where families can easily find forms to opt their children out of certain activities. Second reading level. Okay, it has been properly moved and seconded. Is there uh any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I.

208All those opposed say no. Abstains. Okay, that has been passed. Uh, we have several items for board review. Um, I don't think we need to do them because there's no one here to present them. Um, are there any committee and board reports? No. Okay. Um, is there any new business? All right. In that case, I will entertain a motion to adjurnn. So moved. So second second. Okay. Um any discussion in that case? Um we're adjourned.