Challenger hopes to knock out 1 of 3 incumbents in Hampton School Board race

Four candidates are running for three open seats on the Hampton School Board. Chairman Richard Mason, Jr. and board members Jason Samuels and Joseph Kilgore are seeking reelection to a second, third and fourth term, respectively. Nikia Miller is seeking to unseat one of the incumbents to gain a spot on the seven-member board.

The board’s at-large elections mean the three candidates with the most votes will win a seat on the board to serve a four-year term. Early voting has started and will run through Nov. 5. Election Day is Nov. 8.

The board governs a district serving nearly 20,000 students across 32 schools and centers.

Mason, 52, is a licensed clinical mental health professional and associate professor. He believes one of the biggest issues facing schools in upcoming years will be student mental health.

“The pandemic has sparked a rise in depression and anxiety especially among school-aged children,” he said in a written response to questions from The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press. “To address this issue, there is a need to increase the number of mental health professionals and program services that will address the mental health needs of students, their families and school division personnel.”

Mason also would like to see school personnel trained in trauma-informed care and social-emotional learning.

Samuels, 48, is a program manager with a background in social work. He says staffing shortages are one of the most pressing issues facing Hampton schools. The district began the school year with 74 teacher vacancies.

Samuels said addressing this shortage requires a multi-pronged approach, including recruiting individuals with non-teaching degrees and establishing partnerships with the local higher education institutions to better develop the teacher pipeline.

“Furthermore, board members must continue to advocate for the General Assembly to increase teachers’ and support staff salaries,” he said.

Kilgore, 59, is an engineering manager. One of his top areas of focus is the achievement gap.

“Closing the achievement gap is critical for our students and society and has been something I have worked on since becoming a School Board member,” said Kilgore, who was first elected to the board in 2010. Kilgore said the district has made great strides in closing the gap through various methods, including implementing a three-tiered approach that includes “core, targeted and intensive” support for students. Additionally, Kilgore highlighted the district’s efforts to remove barriers to learning, such as addressing WiFi access problems and nutritional needs of students.

“However, there is more work to be done,” he said.

Miller, 42, is a freelance graphic designer and project manager. She has not previously held public office, but said she has previously worked on campaigns across the commonwealth.

One of the biggest issues Miller wants to tackle if elected to the School Board is sexual harassment and sexual assault in schools.

Miller says her daughter was sexually assaulted by another student in a Hampton elementary school over the course of several months. She was notified by school officials in March 2020, when her daughter was in second grade. She has maintained that school officials have not adequately addressed her demands to support her daughter.

School officials have said they responded appropriately to the alleged incident, and notified Hampton police. According to a police report, the incident involved two girls ages 7 and 9. The city prosecutor did not file charges.

Miller said, if elected to the board, one way she will seek to deal with sexual harassment is to push for bathroom checks at all Hampton school at least every 10 minutes. She also wants students in K-12 to be offered workshops on sexual harassment and assault, including what constitutes “bad touching.”

When announcing her candidacy in a press release in July, Miller also said she wants to ensure Title IX compliance at all Hampton City schools — referring to the federal law that prohibits discrimination based on sex, which can include sexual violence — improve special education across the district and advocate for a civics education class for all seniors.

For more information about the election, voter registration or to view a sample ballot, visit hampton.gov/voter.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com