THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates for the District 1 seat on Virginia Beach City Council. Answers to our questions in this series generally are not edited, aside from obvious punctuation issues, spacing and formatting, or for clarity. The Sunday, Sept. 22, voter guide edition is still available on some of our secondary racks until Election Day.
Only voters who live within District 1 vote in this election.
JENNIFER FRANKLIN
Residence: Avalon Woods
Age: 56
Occupation: Mortgage Banker/Small Business Owner
Military Service/Education: 22 years Retired Navy Reservist; High School graduate
Endorsements: Former state Del. Terrie Suit and former School Board Chairperson Dan Edwards
Website: jenfranklinforvb.com
Phone: (757) 633-9657
Email: jenfforvbsb@gmail.com
Social Media: JenniferFranklinVirginiaBeachSchoolBoard on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I currently serve as Vice Chair of the VBCPS School Board, with over three years of dedicated service. Before my election, I was actively involved as a PTSA parent for more than 25 years, holding leadership roles ranging from Committee Chair to PTA President during my children’s schooling. Additionally, I bring over 25 years of experience in the Finance and Business sector, which has proven invaluable in addressing budgeting and auditing concerns. My background in training hundreds of individuals also provides me with strong insights into teamwork, collaboration, and team-building skills.
What is the most important issue facing the city schools, and how will you address it in office? The most pressing issue facing our City Schools is teacher retention and recruitment. It’s essential that we prioritize efforts to ensure teaching is valued as the critical and dignified profession it truly is. Our focus must be on strengthening parent-teacher partnerships, investing in professional development, and offering competitive compensation. By providing teachers with the resources, support, and incentives they deserve, we can encourage them to remain in the profession they’re passionate about, which ensures a positive and thriving learning environment for students.
What are your three main policy priorities for Virginia Beach schools?
- Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Addressing the growing teacher shortages is crucial. We need to enhance recruitment efforts, offer competitive salaries, and provide ongoing professional development opportunities. Retention is equally important, focusing on creating supportive work environments, reducing burnout through manageable workloads, and offering mental health support for teachers.
- Quality Education Aligned with Pillars: Our district aims to prepare every student to enroll in higher education, enlist in the military, or enter the workforce. (Enroll, Enlist or Employ) Ensuring a strong path for each of these outcomes is vital to student success. We offer advanced academic programs and are committed to continue leading the state in providing industry certification and workforce opportunities. Our NJROTC programs also provide excellent pathways for students pursuing military careers.
- Student Mental Health and Well-being: Prioritizing student mental health is essential. This includes increasing access to mental health services within schools and creating safe, supportive learning environments. We must also address the impacts of trauma, bullying, and other factors that can negatively affect students’ well-being.
How can the city schools address concerns about equality and inclusion? City schools can address equity and inclusion by implementing inclusive policies that ensure equal access to resources and opportunities for all students. Providing targeted support for those facing additional challenges, such as socioeconomic or language barriers, is crucial. Regular diversity training for staff can promote a supportive school environment, while engaging families and community members in decision-making ensures diverse perspectives are included. Lastly, VBCPS has ongoing assessments to help refine strategies and address emerging issues effectively. This multi-faceted approach fosters a more equitable and inclusive educational environment.
Is the district doing enough to address school security and discipline? I believe that VBCPS is fully committed to making school safety a top priority. With our RAPTOR system, dedicated security teams, our unique School Security Officer program and partnership with the VB Police Department through the SRO program, we maintain heightened vigilance to keep our schools safe. Regarding discipline, we continually communicate student expectations to families, enforce policies fairly, and strive to create a learning environment where everyone can thrive.
How will you help the School Board prioritize the significant challenge of teacher retention and recruitment? To address the challenge of attracting and retaining high-quality educators, VBCPS should focus on a three-pronged approach:
- Building Strong Parent-Teacher Partnerships: Foster collaboration and communication between parents and teachers to create a supportive and engaging environment.
- Support for Teacher Professional Development: Provide ongoing training and career growth opportunities to enhance educators’ skills and job satisfaction.
- Competitive Compensation: We need to offer salaries and benefits that can compete with neighboring districts to attract and keep the best talent. VBCPS is always looking for ways to make sure our division remains one of the best places to work, where talented professionals feel valued and supported.
Do you support collective bargaining? When collective bargaining became an option due to recent changes in the General Assembly, the School Board deliberated extensively. The board almost unanimously decided not to pursue it at this time, as the costs of hiring specialized legal counsel would further strain an already tight budget. We are focused on unfunded mandates, competitive compensation, and future capital improvements. As other Virginia divisions adopt collective bargaining, we will monitor their experiences to inform our approach. For now, I do not support implementing collective bargaining.
Arguably, the School Board has been more effected by district voting than the City Council, which has faced challenges in court this year. Do you support the 10-district voting system? Why? The implementation of the district voting system did significantly affect school board races, with several members at the time in the same district. This shift led to the loss of years of experience in the last election for those who could no longer run at-large, forcing some off the board. While I value equitable representation for each district, many of our policies affect every family in Virginia Beach. Therefore, I believe that we should have more at-large members on the school board to ensure broader citywide representation beyond just one at-large seat.
ROSE DWYER
Residence: College Park
Age: 66
Occupation: Retail
Education: Bible college certification
Endorsements: Republican Party of Virginia Beach, Students First VA and state Sen. Bill DeSteph
Website: roseforvb.com
Email: rdwyerforvb@gmail.com
Social Media: Rose Dwyer School Board District 1 on Facebook
What are your specific qualifications for this office? As the mom of 5 children, I spent many hours volunteering in schools as a member of the PTA and as a PTA President. I also have first-hand experience from my previous service as a school board member in another district.
What is the most important issue facing the city schools, and how will you address it in office? Thirty percent of 3rd graders are reading below grade level. This is a key age for building the foundation of reading. As a school board member, I will hold the Superintendent accountable for improving the reading ability of all students.
A focus must be put back on basic academic achievement. If a child can’t read, they cannot succeed.
What are your three main policy priorities for Virginia Beach schools?
- Academic excellence and opportunity: We must raise the bar, not lower it. A child will strive for the expectations set for them. A focus must be put back academics rather than social or political agendas in school.
- Workforce readiness: While it is important to prepare students for college, there must be a stronger focus and emphasis on workforce readiness and trade skills for those who do not go to college. A career in the trades must also be valued and promoted.
- Fiscal responsibility: In the last 5 years, per pupil cost in Virginia Beach have risen dramatically to nearly $18,000 per student. That is an increase of almost $5,000 per student in the last 5 years. This type of spending is unsustainable for Virginia Beach taxpayers. VBCPS must be more restrained in the spending of taxpayer dollars.
How can the city schools address concerns about equality and inclusion? Every student must be treated with dignity and respect and provided equal opportunities.
Is the district doing enough to address school security and discipline? Virginia Beach schools have done an adequate job with the physical aspects of school security, but teachers tell me that student discipline is still a big concern. Students must be held accountable for disruptions in the classroom when it impacts the learning environment of other students.
How will you help the School Board prioritize the significant challenge of teacher retention and recruitment? The number one issue for teachers based on surveys I’ve read is the workplace environment. They are concerned about student discipline problems which must be addressed in order to retain quality teachers. We must reduce the number of outside obligations (paperwork) that teachers have, many of these requirements come from state legislation.
Do you support collective bargaining? In other school districts that have approved collective bargaining, it has cost an exorbitant amount of money in overhead administrative and legal fees. Since the school board does not have taxing authority, it would not be wise to enter into an obligation for collective bargaining because it could negatively impact students and further increase the budget funded by taxpayers.
Arguably, the School Board has been more effected by district voting than the City Council, which has faced challenges in court this year. Do you support the 10-district voting system? Why? I can see benefits to both a ward style system and an at-large system. I do not have a specific preference, and this is not a decision that would be made by the school board. I think this is a decision that should be made by the voters.
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