The Shadow
LOW MOOR — Alleghany County School Board members Randy Tucker and Todd Persinger attended the Virginia School Boards Association’s annual convention in Williamsburg this week.
Tucker and Persinger will will give a report to the board during its Dec. 15 meeting.
The convention focused on providing school divisions with the insight, tools and knowledge needed to survive the ongoing budget cuts inflicted on Virginia’s public education system.
Tucker and Persinger will highlight the tools and information gathered at the event to help further student success during these tough economic times.
In addition to the board members, Dr. Sarah T. Campbell, division superintendent; Mary Jane Mutispaugh, director of instruction; Jan Hobbs, director of assessment and student success; and Lorie Bess, clerk of the board, also attended the convention.
“School board members are being faced with the most difficult fiscal decisions ever seen during our time on the board,” said Mutispaugh. “Having the chance to network with others from across the state, hear about what other schools are doing to survive this economic crisis and learn from experts in the education community is a priceless opportunity. We are not the only ones struggling, and by collaborating and learning from others we have a better chance of minimizing the impacts of these horrific cuts to education.”
Approximately 1,000 school governance leaders attended the 2014 VSBA Annual Convention, participating in more than 50 workshops, clinics and critical issues sessions focused on topics such as boardsmanship, developing local capacity, school law, school construction, virtual and blended learning, advocacy, school improvement, educational trends, and energy and sustainability practices.
“We will share what we learned at the VSBA Convention this year at our December 15 board meeting,” said Tucker. “The convention is a great investment for our community because it allows our board to continue learning about nationwide and statewide trends, meet and learn from key policy officials, and bring back new best management practices for our schools that will improve our students’ education.”
