Ed. — The following are responses to questions posed by The Independent News to candidates in the election for the District 10 seat on the Virginia Beach School Board. Answers to our questions in this series generally are not edited, aside from obvious punctuation issues, spacing and formatting, or for clarity. The print edition containing our full voter guide is now on stands through this coming weekend.
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- News coverage about voting system changes is at this link.
- Please reach John Doucette, the editor, with any questions or concerns via email.
- Find the main page for the complete 2022 voter guide at this link.
KIM A. BENTLEY II
- Residence: Amberley Forest in Green Run
- Age: 40
- Occupation: QA Analyst, Dept of VA
- Military Service/Education: Some college
- Endorsements: Virginia Beach Education Association-PACE and Virginia Beach School Board Members Jessica Owens and Beverly Anderson
- Website: kimbentleyVB.com
- Phone: (757) 752-8895
- Email: kimbentleyVB@gmail.com
- Social Media: @kimbentleyVB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I’m a 20 year veteran of the IT industry currently under contract with the Department of VA, looking to bring progressive technological and infrastructural changes to VBCPS. As a holder of only a high school diploma and some professional certifications, I feel I can both serve as both a success story and cautionary tale of what “achievement” looks like in the working class world. I also currently serve as the President of Green Run Homes Association Board of Directors where I help with my other Board members make decisions on infrastructure and budgeting for our common areas, playgrounds, pools and parks for our community.
What is the most important issue facing the city schools, and how will you address it in office? The Educator Exodus from VBCPS – The largest driver causing educators to leave a passion-driven job is the reality that they can no longer sustain themselves on below market wages. We must address the underlying issue of failing to meet the material conditions necessary for teachers to thrive in our school system. In order to not just manage retention, but attract new talent we need to be a leader in the Hampton Roads region in pay/benefits for faculty AND staff.
What are your three main policy priorities for Virginia Beach schools?
- Educator Exodus: Immediately increasing faculty and staff compensation & benefits to not just improve the material conditions but to be aggressively competitive in attracting new talent.
- Infrastructural inequities: Addressing infrastructure shortcomings and inequities between VBCPS schools
- Reconnecting with the community: Increasing real, genuine parent engagement with the schools’ teachers and curriculum by boosting participation in PTAs. Giving parents the ‘hands on’ interaction by utilizing the tools we already have that are neglected within VBCPS
How can the city schools address concerns about equality and inclusion? VBCPS recently filled its DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) leadership position, but there’s still work to be done. We need to continue to implement trainings such as Courageous Conversations and culturally responsive training. Not only do we need to protect our staff acting in support of diversity and representation, we need to expand upon it. I believe a comprehensive equity study needs to be done in order to assess what shortcomings our current system of corrective action has and how to address them. We need to have an apparatus that can address concepts like implicit bias to begin working on improving the system.
Is the district doing enough to address school security and discipline? I think VBCPS does a good job addressing security and discipline, but there are opportunities for improvement. I believe a comprehensive equity study needs to be done in order to assess what shortcomings our current system of corrective action may have, and how to address them. We need to have an apparatus that can address concepts like implicit bias to begin working on improving the system.
How will you help the School Board prioritize the significant challenge of teacher retention and recruitment? As mentioned before, in order to not just manage retention of institutional knowledge but attract new talent, we need to be a leader in the region for pay/benefits for all faculty and staff. I would ask for an immediate 10% pay increase across the board, and every year after a cost of living adjustment based on the CPI but no less than 3%. Furthermore, any hourly wage worker within VBCPS should be making no less than $20 per hour. People often balk at that number but that’s the going rate for labor in this market; I even pay my babysitter $20/hr.
How do you plan to work effectively and fairly on a sometimes divided board? With every community leadership position I’ve obtained, I’ve made sure to foster a sense of “meeting of fellow citizens” and reject any perceived socioeconomic hierarchies. White collar, blue collar, doesn’t matter – we’re all here to do the work. Even in my current position as President of my HOA Board, I treat the title as nothing more than ceremonial and I’m merely the first among equals. I take care to consider the points of view of my fellow Board members’ experiences.
I feel it’s important as public servants to defer to the objective information set before us by subject matter experts and make informed decisions based on the data. We must also consider what’s most moral, most just, to protect the marginalized among us to ensure equitable access.
Should the School Board take a more active role than it has in the past in coming discussions about our local voting system following the recent appeals court decision in Holloway v. Virginia Beach? I think Holloway v. Virginia Beach has opened up a unique opportunity to address what’s previously been seen as a “liberal” concept and discuss it in a bipartisan manner – the concept of Representation.The voice of the people needs to be heard, and that voice is at its strongest when represented by a member of their community. The At-Large seats have long been a tool wielded to disenfranchise voters to the detriment of the city as a whole; it’s an archaic system whose time has come to an end. The School Board should loudly advocate for fair representation for the benefit of the parents and the students to get the quality education system they deserve.
KATHLEEN BROWN
- Residence: Landstown Commons area
- Age: 37
- Occupation: Figure Skating Coach
- Military Service/Education: Associate Degree – Tidewater Community College, Bachelor of Science – Business Administration – Liberty University
- Endorsements: Students First VA
- Website: votekathleenbrown.com
- Phone: (757) 744-4356
- Email: kathleen@votekathleenbrown.com
Social Media: @kathleenbrownvb on Facebook and @votekathleenbrown on Instagram
What are your specific qualifications for this office? I worked my way through higher education later in life, earning an associate’s degree from Tidewater Community College and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Liberty University. I have the financial skills to manage and analyze the budget and make sure funds are properly managed. I coach athletes, dedicating 26 years to figure skating, so I am a strong support of sports and the valuable life lessons they teach. I am a dedicated wife and mother of four and am committed to providing the best education and opportunity to succeed to every student.
What is the most important issue facing the city schools, and how will you address it in office? The school system must finally solve the vocational readiness problem. Good paying careers are being filled by workers recruited from other states because our school systems continue to devalue non-college career paths. These valuable skills are a win for the students in Virginia Beach, the residents that benefit from the education and the businesses here. I am a living example of preparing for both the college and non-college life experience and am passionate about working toward increasing vocational options to meet the marketplace demand for these much needed skills.
What are your three main policy priorities for Virginia Beach schools?
- Partnerships with Parents: As a wife and mother of four, I know I want to be involved and informed of all facets of my children’s education. Studies show that parental involvement is a great predictor of student success. Education is rarely successful without the partnership of parents in the process. I recognize and respect the invaluable role of parents in their children’s lives, and will thoroughly engage and openly include parents’ views before voting on any policy changes.
- Fiscal Responsibility: I am the only candidate in this race qualified to manage and analyze the school system budgets, revenue streams and expenditures. I have the skills to ensure that the school system is responsibly compensating employees and students are receiving a top-notch education.
- Student Discipline: As an athlete and coach, I know the value of dedication and discipline. Success is not achievable without discipline and hard work. I will work towards balancing discipline and working with parents to address mental health issues, differing abilities, and behavioral issues to set our children up for success.
How can the city schools address concerns about equality and inclusion? I strongly support equality. I think equality is diminished by drawing lines of division and placing artificial limits on opportunities for success. I don’t think we can only bring people up by knocking other people down. Inclusion of ALL opinions, backgrounds and abilities should be what we expect in our schools.
Is the district doing enough to address school security and discipline? A lack of student discipline and accountability is a disaster waiting to happen. I’ve spoken to teachers and parents and have heard stories of unequally enforced discipline policies, with many teachers feeling fearful administration will not support them. This is contributing to teacher dissatisfaction and shortages and is a major reason some are leaving the profession. Security is fairly good with room for improvement. Security should be consistent citywide at elementary, middle and high schools. I have concerns about ease of access to portables, which there are many of in district 10. I think we need to strengthen security around entrances by verifying identities prior to entering the school.
How will you help the School Board prioritize the significant challenge of teacher retention and recruitment? Between massive paperwork, lack of support from administration, discipline issues and the infusion of politics into the classroom, it’s no wonder teachers are leaving for other cities or other careers. Throwing money at the problem and believing it’s solved will just lead to increased shortages and failures. We must also address the other staffing pitfalls so additional duties are not placed on teachers. A wholistic report to teacher retention and recruitment will be the only successful strategy.
How do you plan to work effectively and fairly on a sometimes divided board? I plan to work to get the best situation that everyone can agree to. In this new voting system, there will be new school board members like me who can hopefully make improvements. I am willing to work with fellow members but at the end of the day, the education of our children is the most important thing.
Should the School Board take a more active role than it has in the past in coming discussions about our local voting system following the recent appeals court decision in Holloway v. Virginia Beach? No. The school board has no authority over the city charter or a judge’s decision. The school board should not utilize their legal resources or time intended for education for this matter and should focus on academics for every student.
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