Acting superintendent to present new improvement plan for Albemarle Schools

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - The Albemarle County School Board is expected to hear a new improvement plan Thursday, November 12, as the division faces continued pressure from county and state leaders to address rising concerns over transparency, accountability and mandatory reporting procedures.

Acting Superintendent Dr. Chandra Hayes will present a plan with updates at 30, 60, and 90 days. It will focus on changes to division policies, workplace culture, organizational structure and how Albemarle County Public Schools handles Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

“The board asked Dr. Hayes at our last board meeting for a 30-60-90 day plan as well as to initiate an Office of Compliance & Constituent Services,” Berlin said at a community town hall on Wednesday.

The presentation will also include an update on the creation of an Office of Compliance and Constituent Services, intended to address concerns raised following the arrests of school administrators.

“This is one of the things that has come out of the crisis,” School Board Chair Rebecca Berlin said.

The changes come after the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution on Oct. 15 calling for greater accountability within the school division.

That resolution called for stronger whistleblower protections, an audit of the division’s public records practices, improved crisis communication and regular progress reports to supervisors.

Supervisors also requested state involvement in reviewing the division’s compliance with mandatory reporting requirements.

On Oct. 27, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway sent a letter directing ACPS to hire an independent consultant within 10 business days to examine mandatory reporting policies, procedures and organizational culture.

The Virginia Department of Education also required the consultant’s independence and scope of work to be reviewed by the state, with interim and final reports submitted to both VDOE and ACPS.

The state review follows the arrests of three school administrators in October on charges related to alleged failures to report suspected child abuse.

The presentation is scheduled for Thursday evening. The School Board’s open session begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Lane Auditorium at the Albemarle County Office Building.

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Acting superintendent to present new improvement plan for Albemarle Schools

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