Virginia Beach School Board District 9: Candidates spotlight
Erika Guess
Age: 42
Occupation: Marketing Strategist
Previous Office Held: None
Education: Virginia Wesleyan University, B.A. Communication
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 of the pandemic on students?
VBCPS is fortunate that SOL scores increased 5-10% in 2022, in every category except writing, according to the Virginia Department of Education. I am impressed with how hard our students and teachers worked last year. If we maintain that trajectory, we will be back to the 82-87% SOL pass rates from 2019. To stay on track, we need to allow teachers more flexibility in classrooms to manage the pace of learning for their classes. It’s important to remember that children around the world had similar experiences, and we are still seeing the toll it had on our collective well-being. If we can create more positions for teaching assistants and counselors, they can help students wherever they need it, and provide individual attention that could make a significant difference. Increasing support staff will also allow teachers more time to focus on instruction.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
As a parent, I believe that we can improve communication within VBCPS. As a candidate, I have received constructive feedback from parents and educators with regard to how schools communicate. Let’s change the way we use school websites and social media platforms so that parents can easily learn what’s happening in their child’s school. Centralizing information (and standardizing it throughout the division) frees up time for staff to focus on the one-on-one communication that will help parents and students the most. Improving internal communication between teachers and administrators could result in fewer meetings and more time for planning and instruction. I’m already familiar with tools like this in the private sector, and I’m excited to research education-specific communication systems that create transparency between parents, students, teachers and administrators.
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Carolyn Weems
Age: 62
Occupation: Teacher, Youth Director, Small Business Owner
Previous Office Held: Virginia Beach School Board
Education: B.S. Administrative Management, Clemson University
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 of the pandemic on students?
Yes, the response to the pandemic definitely caused missed learning. Lengthy school closures came at a stiff price: a decline in overall achievement, a widening of achievement gaps, losses in emotional and durable skills and challenges to children’s mental health. Unfortunately, a return to academic excellence is no quick fix. We must use money received from federal tax dollars (ESSER) for high dosage tutoring, before and after school programs, additional opportunities for math and reading and increased opportunities for summer in-person learning. We must also raise academic standards and not promote students to the next grade level who aren’t ready. In doing so, I know and truly believe our students will strive to meet these expectations and will be more successful in reaching their full potential.
Please name one other pressing issue that the school board should address. How would you address it?
We need to retain high quality teachers for all students. Teachers need to be supported in the following ways: reduce the amount of new initiatives coming from central office, support classroom management and student discipline, reduce paperwork, improve the compensation packet, listen to teacher input and let them do what they are trained and love to do - teach! We must also expand Career and Technical Education opportunities. Since more than 63% of Virginia Beach adults do not have a college degree, it is clearly time to add a comprehensive high school that will teach the skills necessary to get good paying jobs once students graduate. In addition to mastering a trade, students must have durable skills such as work ethic, character, punctuality, respect, self discipline, collaboration etc. All educational paths must be supported to ensure all students are reaching their potential.
