LOW MOOR — Alleghany Highlands Public Schools and school divisions throughout the commonwealth are celebrating School Board Appreciation Month in February.
Almost 850 elected and appointed school board members in Virginia are being recognized by schools and communities for their service and dedication to public education. The Alleghany Highlands School Board has seven members: Jacob Wright, chair; Jonathan Arritt, vice chair;
Marie Fitzpatrick, Gerald Franson, John Littleton, Danielle Morgan, and Tammy Scruggs- Duncan.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “The Heart of Education: Our School Board.” The theme reflects the leadership of school board members as they serve their school divisions and communities by advocating for public education on the local, state and federal levels. They carry
out their roles on behalf of all students.
“We are proud of Alleghany Highlands Public Schools, and School Board Appreciation Month is the time to recognize and celebrate the dedication of our school board members,” said Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS.
The Alleghany Highlands School Board includes individuals from diverse professional and personal backgrounds. The board is charged with setting the overall vision for the schools, and the school division staff implement steps to reach this vision.
The various backgrounds of school board members are assets to this process as the school board sets the tone for how the community views its schools. Members of the Alleghany Highlands School Board develop policies and make hard decisions on education issues that impact the entire community.
AHPS was created in July 2022 through the merger of Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
As part of the merger agreement, Alleghany County has four members on the school board, Wright, Littleton, Morgan and Franson. Covington has three members: Arritt, Fitzpatrick and Scruggs-Duncan. The joint board works as a team to make decisions for the betterment of
students in the entire Alleghany Highlands. The school division serves approximately 2,700 students.
The board is transitioning to becoming a fully elected board. In November 2023, Littleton made history when he became the board’s first elected member.
All AHPS board members spend time in numerous professional development and service activities outside of the regular school board meetings.
“It is impossible to list all board member activities, but we want to highlight some of their contributions to our schools and community,” Halterman and Snead-Johnson said.
Chair Jacob Wright is the chairman of the Virginia School Boards Association Blue Ridge Region and serves on the state board of directors. He also serves on the GO Virginia Region 2 council. GO Virginia is a statewide initiative designed to encourage Virginia’s economic growth through the creation of high-wage jobs. He is currently planning a professional development and networking event for other school board members in the region that will bring visitors from 17 school divisions to the Alleghany Highlands. Wright was appointed to the Alleghany Highlands
School Board from Alleghany County.
Vice Chair Jonathan Arritt is a third generation funeral director who served on the Covington City School Board prior to the creation of AHPS. He co-chaired the joint school services committee that developed the agreement that created AHPS. Wright was also a co-chair of the
committee. Arritt is a graduate of Covington High School and his ancestors were some of the earliest settlers in Alleghany County.
Danielle Morgan, a nurse leader for an area health care facility, represents the school board on the AHPS Student Health Advisory Board and on the Jackson River Governor’s School’s own governing board. Morgan’s expertise includes risk management and health services. She is one of the first appointed members from Alleghany County to the Alleghany Highlands School Board.
Marie Fitzpatrick, a retired business manager, served on the Covington City School Board. In 2022, she joined Arritt and Scruggs-Duncan in becoming the city’s first appointed representatives to the Alleghany Highlands School Board. Her work with the AHPS Board includes serving on the administrative budget committee which helps plan the school division’s annual operating budget. Fitzpatrick is a former member of The Alleghany Foundation Board of Directors. In 2016, she served as the Alleghany Highlands Christmas Mother.
Gerald Franson, a Covington businessman, served on the Alleghany County School Board prior to his appointment to the AHPS Board in 2022. He served on the Joint School Services Committee and his work on that committee included being part of a budget subcommittee. The subcommittee helped draft the first budget for AHPS. Franson was the last chair of the Jackson River Technical Center Joint Board of Control. The JRTC board dissolved when the technical center became a part of AHPS, but Alleghany Highlands School Board members still participate
in the oversight of JRTC.
Tammy Scruggs-Duncan’s duties include serving as a school board representative to the school division’s Safe Schools interdisciplinary planning team. The safe schools group involves local emergency responders and other professionals in thinking about safety initiatives across the
school division. A local non-profit executive, she enjoys advocating for student access to the arts.
John Littleton, an elected board member from Alleghany County, serves as a school board representative to the statewide special education advisory committee, a position that required an application and competitive selection process. He is also part of the school board budget
committee. As an engineer, he serves as the school board’s liaison for construction and maintenance projects.
“It is our honor to serve alongside these board members in advocating for the children of the Alleghany Highlands,” said Halterman and Snead-Johnson. “We encourage everyone in our community to extend a word of thanks to the board members.”
AHPS news and events are updated regularly on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.
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