<h3><span style="color: #e11a3b;"><strong>From the President's Desk</strong></span></h3>

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<img class="wp-image-139 size-medium alignleft" src="https://www.vsba.org/wp-content/uploads/Martin_2019-240x300.jpg" alt="Teddy D. Martin, II, President" width="240" height="300">

Dear Fellow School Board Members,

Summer is finally upon us. As a board member, there is no better moment than recognizing our students’ achievements on graduation day, and I hope you all were able to celebrate in fantastic weather to kick off the season the right way. While it may not have been the traditional season like graduation, we now have a budget with record support for education. Thank you to everyone who advocated for public education and J.T. Kessler and Stacy Haney for their diligent efforts throughout the many sessions and for keeping us updated on the latest in Richmond.

At our Board of Directors meeting this month, we created a Task Force on School Infrastructure Needs. As you likely know, this is a cause dear to me, and I thank our Board of Directors for supporting this critical endeavor. I am thankful also for the impressive lineup of members who have joined in support. I look forward to the Task Force’s work to address these needs so that all our children in the Commonwealth have safe, supportive, innovative learning environments no matter their zip code.

As always, thank our Executive Director Gina Patterson and the dedicated staff for all their hard work. I especially want to thank Gina for her leadership in supporting COSSBA and its initial Urban Boards Alliance conference in Atlanta. Registration and additional information are forthcoming shortly. I have been asked and am now serving on the Governmental Affairs Advisory Committee for COSSBA. I am confident in saying VSBA is and will remain a national leader.

We had an excellent School Law Conference a couple of weeks ago. I was thrilled to see so many of you in attendance in person and virtually, and I hope to see you all at the Conference on Education in Richmond on July 19th. We will be joined by Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera and the Teacher of the Year Daphne Fulson of Chesapeake City Public Schools. We will also present the Workforce Readiness, Food For Thought, and Student Essay Contest Award winners and have many mini-workshops of innovative practices from your local divisions. Our Conference on Education is one of our best attended and highly regarded conferences each year, so I hope you will be able to join us.

It’s also not too early to start planning for the Annual Convention in Williamsburg, November 16th-18th. The request for proposals for presentations is now open. I also want to remind you of three important recognition programs we offer: the Board of Distinction, Regional Member of the Year, and School Board of the Year, which will all be recognized at the Annual Convention. Please review the application materials and get those into Brittany Moore by July 20th.

Thank you so much for the support you have shown me and for the opportunity to serve as your President. I thank you for your dedication to public education and service to your students and communities across this great Commonwealth. Please know I am here to support you. Please feel free to reach out if any questions or ways I may be of assistance.

Thanks again for all you do,

- Teddy D. Martin II