Albemarle Supervisor Sally Duncan Issues Statement on Board of Supervisor’s Resolution

There are things in this school district that have been allowed to break. Serious things. A multitude of things in a multitude of ways. Special education. Achievement gaps. Title IX reporting. The working environment. Teacher workload. Staffing issues. CIP planning. Contracts. Transportation. FOIA. Trust.

Then there are the reports of intimidation. Discrimination. NDAs. Sexual harassment. Being labeled a troublemaker. A fear of honesty. Retaliation. 

None of these things are normal. None of this had to happen.

The miracle of it all is the dedication and resiliency of our teachers, our staff. Day in and day out they serve our kids. We still have a good school district, because we have a strong staff, strong families, and amazing kids. That shouldn’t get lost in any of this, and it is one of the things that has been so maddening to me over the past year. The people inside our school buildings deserve better. They do not deserve the shocking headlines, a confrontational central office, or an unresponsive school board. ACPS is filled with incredible people. That should never be forgotten.

But there are so many fundamental pieces that have been broken. ACPS is in a crisis. I wish it were not the case. It is heartbreaking, frustrating, and disappointing, but nonetheless, it is true. Families can see it. Our elected state representatives can see it. Our prospective federal representatives see it. The governor sees it. The newspaper sees it. So does the Commonwealth’s attorney. Everyone sees it, except, it seems, the only people with the constitutional authority to do something about it.

I am genuinely flabbergasted.

And, I want to acknowledge that some of them have been working hard and maybe even working behind the scenes to fix things. Multiple things can be true. There can be good intentions, but ineffective results. There are rules, but there is also public accountability.

Public goods are a public trust. To me, this is one of the core issues. We, as a collective community, put our faith that the people elected and the people hired will run our core institutions on our behalf. We trust that they are honest, dedicated, genuine, and partners in our collective success. This is what makes everything run. This is what public trust means. When someone in the system doesn’t do this, things start to break down. In a functioning system, when one part breaks, others come to the rescue before failure can occur.

The rescuers this time are the unelected and the unpaid. The people who continually show up to public comment in public meetings. The ones who talk to lawyers. The ones who told their stories to VDOE. The pro-bono lawyer. The people who show up to school meetings, the teachers who talk to each other. The ones who shared their personal, painful stories. Those who reached out and allowed me the space to hear how you have felt abandoned, rejected, or victimized by the school district. The ones who FOIA documents. The union leaders and Family Council members. The mom group chats.

Our families – our constituents – know what they are owed by a public institution and by their elected officials. I am so grateful for their continued advocacy. It is sadly too often the case that those with power do not do the right thing until they are forced into it.

The crisis has been allowed to become too large. There are too many facets. There are too many legal issues and too many people involved for this to be handled by six people who are not experts and who are doing a part-time job.

We need outside expertise. We need mechanisms to hold those who created this crisis, who broke the public trust, and who allowed our children to be hurt to be held accountable. My concern for my constituents does not end when they walk through the school door, and I am not content to sit by and watch them struggle. We all deserve a school district that is a partner to families and staff. We deserve to have leaders that are responsive, that share our anger and grief, and that serve the people, not the institutions.

 Change is required, accountability must happen, and the truth must be allowed to see the light of day. ACPS is a *good* public good and trust must be restored. 

What has been broken can be repaired.

Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Adopts Resolution Requesting Action by the School Board

RESOLUTION CONCERNING ALBEMARLE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS ISSUES