CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors welcomed the incoming independent review of Albemarle County Public Schools initiated by the Virginia Department of Education, according to a statement released by the Board of Supervisors’ Chair and Rio representative Ned Gallaway on Wednesday.
The VDOE’s actions came a little less than two weeks after the Supervisors issued a resolution to the county’s School Board, formally calling on the board to tighten its mandated reporting policies and improve transparency with the public.
That resolution was also sent to the VDOE, with a request for a review of ACPS’s compliance with mandated-reporting laws and related regulations, as well as technical assistance, monitoring support or division-level review as deemed appropriate by the VDOE.
On Tuesday, the VDOE took action, sending a letter to the School Board and Acting Superintendent Dr. Chandra Hayes from Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway.
That letter instructed ACPS to “hire a high-quality independent consultant that can conduct a thorough and timely review of ACPS policies, practices, and organizational culture related to mandatory reporting required by law.”
ACPS will be choosing from a list of options provided by the VDOE and must make a selection within 10 business days.
“The steps you have outlined are significant,” Gallaway said in his correspondence to Conway, which was included with his statement. “Requiring a qualified independent consultant, providing VDOE oversight of the review, establishing reporting expectations, and remaining involved as recommendations are implemented provide a path toward addressing the concerns raised about student safety and public confidence.”
Gallaway also praised Conway for including ACPS’s organizational culture in the review.
“Policies and procedures matter, but so do how decisions are made, how concerns are handled, and how accountability is maintained,” he said. “That includes the effectiveness of governance oversight and the School Board’s role in ensuring that policies are followed and concerns receive appropriate attention. Examining these areas will be important to making lasting improvements.”
As for his board’s resolution, Gallaway also acknowledged in his statement the School Board’s direction to Hayes to develop a 30-60-90-day plan for how the division can strengthen its compliance, transparency and public trust, as well as to establish a compliance and constituent services office and director. That direction was passed unanimously during its Oct. 22 meeting.
Gallaway called the direction “constructive steps” that align with portions of our resolution.” But he added that the response from both the school board and VDOE did not address all of the Supervisors’ concerns.
“While the actions of VDOE and the School Board represent progress, they do not yet address the full range of concerns identified in the Board of Supervisors’ October 15 resolution,” he said. “The state’s newly required independent review is a particularly important step. However, the scope outlined by VDOE is not a substitute for examining other institutional issues identified in our resolution.”
Those issues include a broader governance and organizational review, an established and protected whistleblower mechanism, FOIA accountability, a comprehensive crisis management plan, an independent assessment of whether Hayes is equipped with “adequate financial, operational, legal, and crisis management support,” and substantive public updates and verification that corrective actions have been taken and are producing the intended results.
Gallaway also maintained the school board must provide a “more detailed” response before a joint work session with the Supervisors could be scheduled.
“While welcoming the recent progress, the Board of Supervisors expects a substantive, timely public response from the ACPS School Board to every provision of its October 15 resolution,” he said.
The VDOE’s actions come as parents and families are still navigating the fallout of recent events in the division.
Earlier Wednesday, Ashley Redmond was named interim principal at Woodbrook Elementary, while Craig Smith was named to the same role at Baker-Butler Elementary. Both schools’ principals, Christie Isaiah at Woodbrook and John Wheeler at Baker-Butler, have been on leave since Sept. 28.
