New Charlotte Co. School Board Least Qualified in a Generation

The new Charlotte County School Board that took office in January 2018 is Less Educated, Less Experienced and Less trained than any board in the past generation.

For the first time board members without college degrees outnumber those with degrees.  The current board has two high school drop-outs and two with high school diplomas and only three with four-year or more college degrees.

There are two new members with no experience, three with only two years, one member with four years’ experience and one with 14 years on the board.

In addition, four of the six board members have declined to attend new member training held by the Commonwealth, two new members from this election and two members from the previous election.

According to school board records obtained under FOIA, Charlotte County paid for members Jay George and JonPaul Berkley to attend in 2016. Neither attended but George did repay the county for the unused registration fee.  Gloria Talbott attended the training in January 2016.

Neither Dunaway nor Johnson chose to attend this year.

The curriculum for the training states:

“Becoming a new school board member or superintendent is an honor and a privilege. Enjoy a successful and less stressful transition by attending the VSBA Orientation for New Board Members & Superintendents. Many important topics will be covered, including ethics, school law, parliamentary procedure, budgets, board/superintendent roles, teamwork, and more. Don’t miss this popular event, now with extended sessions, which is a ‘must’ for all new board members and superintendents!”

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Pierantoni