Portsmouth School Board: Candidates spotlight
Melvin Cotton Jr.
Age: 45
Occupation: Senior Pastor at New Genesis Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, It Shall Be Done Communication Owner
Previous Office Held: Current Portsmouth School Board Member
Education: B.S. Religion, Master of Divinity Degree, Master of Arts in Christian Education Degree, Doctor of Ministry Degree
The pandemic, and the response to it, appears to have caused what has been called “learning loss” for students in all grades since 2020. What can and should school boards do to counteract the lingering effects on students of the pandemic?
The pandemic has definitely taken its toll on education, however; I feel that our staff and students have adjusted well. To address any concerns of possible “learning loss”, we currently offer tutoring during and after school to assure our students have the tools they need for success.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
Another pressing issue the school board has been addressing and will continue to, is the enhancement of our CTE Program. Over time the program has truly been growing and I will continue to push for our students to have options in regard to career choices.
___
Quniana D. “Q” Futrell
Age: 36
Occupation: Child Care Owner, CEO of ECE Firm, Author and Executive Director of BRC, Inc.
Previous Office Held: Kiwanis Club of Portsmouth Board Member, Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education Board Member and Advocate, Southeastern Association for the Education of Young Children Co-President, Treasurer and Public Policy Chair, Building Resilience in Communities, Inc. Executive Director,
Education: ED.S in Early Childhood Education, M.A. in Pre-Elementary Education, B.S. in Early Childhood Education, AA.S. in Early Childhood Development
The pandemic, and the response to it, appears to have caused what has been called “learning loss” for students in all grades since 2020. What can and should school boards do to counteract the lingering effects on students of the pandemic?
Currently, Portsmouth Public Schools has “Here to Help” in place as a resource for families and staff to receive mental wellness assistance, which we all know helps with the effects of the pandemic. In addition to those resources, I would encourage the community to partner with principals in our schools and initiate a tutoring program to help counteract the lingering effects the pandemic has had on the students as well.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
A pressing issue that as an incoming board member I would address is early literacy. I plan to address it by implementing the regulations spelled out in SB616, Virginia Literacy Act. Not only will we ensure our children can read, but together with my colleagues plan to ensure our students can comprehend what they are reading to guarantee greater success rates.
___
Arnette D. “Love” McSwain
Age: 49
Occupation: City of Chesapeake Retiree/Business Owner/P.T. Rec. Aide
Previous Office Held: Current Portsmouth Ports and Industrial Commission (Commissioner)
Education: M.A. Management and Leadership, M.A. Religion, B.S. Criminal Justice, A.S. Management, Manor High School (Portsmouth, VA)
The pandemic, and the response to it, appears to have caused what has been called “learning loss” for students in all grades since 2020. What can and should school boards do to counteract the lingering effects on students of the pandemic?
The school boards can do what I would have recommended upon learning that our students would be returning to the classrooms. My recommendation would have been for every student to attend, at least, one month of remedial learning, prior to the regularly scheduled school year.
I have spoken to several of our youth who have admitted to falling behind due to the pandemic. Surprisingly, these students were acceptive to the idea of attending school for additional weeks, to include weekends, to combat “learning loss”. Our students are back in school, and some may still feel the lingering effects of the pandemic. I feel the implementation of Saturday remedial classes would be beneficial for our students. This solution may not be the most popular amongst our students and staff. However, I truly believe it can be an enhancement to our students’ academic endeavors.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
Vocational and Technical training is a pressing issue that the school board should address.
I will advocate for a vocational and technical school within the Portsmouth Public Schools system. It is our responsibility to properly prepare our students to be productive citizens through education. We must understand that not every student will attend college or have the pleasure of serving our country. Therefore, it is necessary for the school board to ensure there are other avenues, without many obstacles, for our students to be self-sufficient. If we train them for jobs in our community, we have a better opportunity to elevate the economy here in the City of Portsmouth. Our students are our future entrepreneurs, future business owners, future inventors and we need to invest properly into our future.
___
Cardell C. Patillo Jr.
Age: 44
Occupation: Executive Director of Mile High Kids Head Start
Previous Office Held: Current Portsmouth School Board Chair
Education: B.A. Multi-Disciplinary Studies, M.A. Pastoral Counseling, Master of Divinity Degree , Doctor of Healthcare Administration
The pandemic, and the response to it, appears to have caused what has been called “learning loss” for students in all grades since 2020. What can and should school boards do to counteract the lingering effects on students of the pandemic?
You can never truly fully recover from the loss of in-person instruction, but school boards should ensure that resources are made available to administration to help close the gaps. Some of the initiatives that can and have been funded are extending summer school offerings, increasing the number of support staff, re-establishing after-school support and hiring retired educators to serve as tutors.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
Enhancing our Career and Technical Education offerings. Currently many of our high level certifications are offered through Tidewater Community College. This summer we implemented a plan to renovate four facilities so that many of our trades will be offered within the school division and available to all students. These will include trades such as Building Construction, Automotive, Welding, Electrical and Go Tech.
___
Tamara L. Shewmake
Age: 40
Occupation: Chief Administrator/Business Owner
Previous Office Held: Current Portsmouth School Board Member
Education: B.A. Psychology, MBA
The pandemic, and the response to it, appears to have caused what has been called “learning loss” for students in all grades since 2020. What can and should school boards do to counteract the lingering effects on students of the pandemic?
This country encountered the widespread concern of children having a minor setback or “learning loss” during the height of the pandemic. PPS has the following virtual programs, which are being used for daily instruction; however, these programs also provide opportunities for our students to receive additional support to address specified learning loss: Social Studies- Studies Weekly and Scholastic Jr.; Math- IXL (grades 3-12), APEX Tutorials, and Explorer Learning; Reading- IXL, Scholastic, Waterford PreK-2 and Vocabulary.com; Science- Explorer Learning K-12 and Jason Learning.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
School systems throughout the nation are quantifying an alarming teacher shortage. As a board member, I will continue to engage with community members, and encourage those looking to assist with this shortage to become a part of the solution. I can thank our awesome PPS educators and staff members by continuing to advocate locally, statewide and federally for raises and/or bonuses as I have in the past.
