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Isle of Wight County Public Schools board meeting, Sep 17, 2026

4 h 46 min · 2 public speakers

Reading and test scores ▶ 2:28:25Safety, weapons and police ▶ 2:23:25

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 4 h 46 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Isle of Wight school board hears update on testing at proposed elementary school site 3:12:36

  • Staff presented state test results, saying the division scored higher than the state in every core subject and that the State Board of Education is raising cut scores for reading and math assessments. 2:30:32
  • A district staff member presented the results of testing on the proposed 18.1-acre elementary school site, saying no methane was detected at 22 locations and a Phase 2 environmental retest was underway. 3:12:36

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (15)
  1. Opening and closed session 2:15
    • Jarad Ford called the meeting to order and asked the clerk to take roll. 2:15
    • The board went into closed session. 5:17
  2. Student and staff recognitions 1:05:08
    • A staff member recognized a Senior of the Month from Windsor High and a student of the month for September from Smithfield High. 1:06:06
    • Students and sponsors from several schools were recognized for placements at the 2026 National Beta Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. 1:11:31
    • A staff member said the division was recognized as a National Beta District of Distinction, among 95 school districts and 543 Beta Clubs nationwide. 1:18:14
  3. Public comment 1:24:52
    • A speaker at public comment asked for information on how the site for a replacement for Westside Elementary School was selected. 1:25:47
    • The speaker also said buses were already doubling back and splitting in the second week of school and asked the district to build added capacity. 1:26:28
    • A speaker raised a cafeteria manager's comments at an earlier meeting about meal balances and suggested free lunch for all students. 1:27:21
  4. Student liaison reports 1:32:10
    • The Windsor High School liaison reported the school had added a debate team and that over 20 students attended an interest meeting. 1:32:10
    • The Smithfield High School liaison said weapons detection lines in the morning were long and made some students late to class. 1:35:22
  5. House resolution presentation 1:38:38
    • A staff member filling in on behalf of a delegate read a House resolution commending Smithfield High School KidWind Challenge teams for their performance at the 2025 KidWind World Challenge. 1:38:38
    • The resolution states one team was one of only 3 teams selected as a world champion top-performing team. 1:39:14
  6. Bullying prevention and advisory committee 1:43:27
    • A staff member asked the board to approve a resolution recognizing October as Bullying Prevention Month. 1:44:13
    • Jarad Ford read the proclamation, which recognizes October 2026 as Bullying Prevention Month throughout Isle of Wight County Schools. 1:45:14
    • One board member agreed to serve as a board representative for the SEAC and said it would be an honor to be on board. 1:47:45
  7. Audit and financial reports 1:49:27
    • A staff member said the delay happened at the county level, not the school level, and was due to a turnover of personnel at the county. 1:50:22
    • A staff member said the health insurance fund had paid runout claims of a little over $500,000 through August, leaving roughly $2.9 million in the fund. 1:51:58
    • The auditor said there were no findings in FY25 related to the free and reduced meal application process, after findings the previous 2 years. 1:58:25
  8. Operations update 2:05:47
    • After a speaker said the new gym floor at Windsor Middle School was buckling, a staff member said a contractor was doing exploratory work to divert water from the building. 2:07:39
    • A transportation staff member said the department was interviewing and hiring drivers and had covered about 15 routes from the office. 2:09:21
    • In response to a question, the transportation staff member said the district has 70 active school buses. 2:12:38
  9. State test results and accountability 2:28:25
    • A staff member said the division scored higher than the state in every core subject area. 2:30:32
    • The staff member said the State Board of Education is raising cut scores for all reading and math assessments under a 4-year plan, after years in which 400 was the passing score. 2:36:03
    • A staff member said new math curriculum will be a large budget request of several hundred thousand dollars with no state money attached. 2:54:06
  10. Superintendent's report 3:07:06
    • The report said students and staff returned for the 2026⁠-⁠2027 school year on September 8th. 3:08:08
    • The superintendent's report said the division welcomed 62 new teachers and 28 new support staff members this year. 3:09:10
  11. New elementary school site update 3:12:29
    • A staff member said methane testing at 22 locations detected no methane and that uncontrolled fill and soft clay on the site could be addressed through established engineering methods. 3:14:51
    • A board member said the property was independently assessed at $6.5 million and the final agreement was $6 million. 3:36:54
    • One board member said the longer the project is pushed out, the more expensive it becomes, and said the hope was to see the building open by 2028. 3:52:02
  12. Construction procurement update 3:53:37
    • A staff member said a letter sent August 11th, 2026, challenged the procurement method being used for the elementary school project. 3:53:40
    • The staff member said the board's legal counsel responded to each concern and the matter is now closed. 3:53:40
  13. Personnel, exemptions and consent agenda 3:55:21
    • A staff member said the division had zero classroom teacher openings. 3:56:06
    • The September donation memo read at the meeting included $2,000 for team shirts and $5,000 for 8th grade MacBook insurance. 3:59:18
  14. Item 4:01:13
    • A staff member said the policy is very broad and staff could look at developing a regulation or a working procedure in the building that is more explicitly written. 4:10:18
    • Jarad Ford asked why the word must was removed from Policy JL on fundraising, and a staff member said it would come back as must in the second read. 4:12:51
    • A motion was made to approve the policies for second read as presented, except that Policy JHCL and Policy GBEB would be tabled, Policies BDD and BDDL would be incorporated into a future bylaw revision and Policy IHB would cross-reference Regulation FBR. 4:34:53
  15. Board member comments 4:38:52
    • A speaker said the electrician and welding instructor roles for the IMTA program had been filled. 4:38:52
    • A speaker said a group of teachers raised concerns about unencumbered planning periods and the board was looking into the policies and laws. 4:42:30

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

What was said

What board members said, in order

A couple of years ago, we did not have such a positive audit. And what you're saying tonight is we effectively got a clean audit and all errors were corrected.Jason Maresh · Board member2:03:37
Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “School Board Meeting 9/17/2026”