Dr. Jeffery O. Smith, Superintendent of Hampton City Schools, was named Virginia’s Superintendent of the Year at the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) Annual Awards Luncheon today  in Roanoke.  He was selected by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Presidents of the Virginia Board of Education, the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia Parent and Teacher Association, the Virginia School Boards Association, the Virginia Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, and the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, and the President-elect of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents.

The VASS Spring Conference on “Eduquality” held May 5-7, 2019, in Roanoke, Va., featured inspirational speakers, engaging discussions, and a call to improve equity in every school division throughout the Commonwealth.

Kicking off the conference was Rodney Robinson, the newly named 2019 National Teacher of the Year who teaches at the school inside the Richmond, Va., Juvenile Justice Center. He became a teacher to honor his mother and struggled to receive an education after being denied one as a child due to segregation and poverty in rural Virginia.

 

CLICK HERE for RESOURCES from the VASS Spring Conference

 

Collective voices of Virginia division superintendents can be impactful within the right arena and with the right audience. Four outstanding Virginia superintendents had the opportunity to have their collective voices heard by the Virginia Board of Education during its Retreat on April 24, 2019. Dr. Brian Austin, Lee County, Dr. Melinda Boone, Norfolk City, Dr. Scott Brabrand, Fairfax County, and Dr. Kim Evans, Greensville County served on a panel to share perspectives on the Board’s work to propose changes to the Standards of Quality. Emphasis was placed on deeper learning, emotional well-being of students, every child having access to a quality Pre-K experience, continued efforts to having the high school diploma serve as a passport for life, pursuing a further reduction of standardized testing and enhancing performance assessments that more accurately reflect what students know and are able to do, and an ongoing effort to improve the accreditation process and how schools are evaluated and labeled. All of the superintendents recommended the State Board’s influence in having Virginia step up and increase its share of funding public education for all school divisions. Flexibility of funding allows division superintendents to direct funds toward the needs of children in their divisions, recognizing that not all have the same needs. Kudos to Dr. Austin, Dr. Boone, Dr. Brabrand, and Dr. Evans again for your advocacy. Job well done!

Superintendent of Southampton County Schools Gwendolyn Shannon, Halifax County Schools Superintendent Mark Lineburg, Superintendent of Richmond County Schools Greg Smith, and Hanover County Schools Superintendent Michael Gill have been selected to receive educational travel scholarships to Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia, July 6-12, 2019. The VASS members will have an opportunity to meet with the Finnish National Board of Education, visit local schools and interact with Finnish educators during their experience which is a comparative study of educational systems.  This is the fourth year in which this scholarship has been provided to VASS members by VASS Senior Associate Partner EF Education First.  Several superintendents have had great learning experiences in Europe through this program.

Dr. Lisa Floyd, Director of Educational Services for the Virginia Department of Juvenile Services, and a VASS Member has created the video below that highlights the work she and her team are doing to move education services toward personalized learning.  Dr. Floyd is making tremendous progress in transforming the educational delivery for incarcerated students.  She is providing hope for students who traditionally may not have hope.  Enjoy the video.

 

Click Here to View the Video

 

The Region VIII Superintendents Study Group is pleased to announce that  the 2019 Superintendents’ Professional Conference will be held at Virginia Beach at the Sheraton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel on September 29^th – October 2^nd, 2019.  You will be joined by other Superintendents across the Commonwealth as they are motivated by informative professional sessions.   This conference is for Superintendents only. Here is a link for additional information regarding registration and hotel stay: https://sites.google.com/view/2019-conference/home  Hope to see you there!

VASS worked with Strategic Value Media to create the guide, a web portal to a large network of vendors that supply goods and services to educators. The guide, which highlights companies that are VASS Business Members, is designed to help school division leaders make efficient and fully informed purchasing decisions.