The public are advised to avoid contact with mats of algae in sections of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River near the town of Strasburg, Va. – Royal Examiner

The Warren County School Board, at its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 3, voted unanimously to file an action until the board’s next business session on whether to renew its membership agreement and of policy services with the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA).

The VSBA is a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of Virginia school boards that provides its members with a variety of services, including governance training; strategic planning services for the development and implementation of targeted action plans; assistance in finding and selecting a superintendent; networking; subscription policy services based on state and federal laws, regulations, and case law; legal information and limited consultation with a lawyer; and collective bargaining services.

“For years, the Warren County Board has been a member of the Virginia School Boards Association at an annual cost of $9,521.19,” Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) Superintendent Christopher Ballenger told reporters. school board members, adding that the VSBA also provides high quality services. webinars, conferences, conventions, meetings, podcasts and other training for school board members and for school board development.

At the same time, Ballenger said, the VSBA also provides “a strong voice for lobbying and advocacy at the local, statewide and national level.”

Several school board members have expressed concerns about the use of taxpayers’ money to fund an organization’s lobbying efforts.

“Obviously I’ve had issues with VSBA for some time now,” said board member Melanie Salins, who pointed out that while the group calls itself impartial, she said she had attended VSBA trainings and events where specific policy agendas were promoted. .

For example, Salins said the VSBA Capital conference she attended in January was a lobbying conference she called “extremely uncomfortable” because it “alienated a lot of new school board members who were there because the most of the members of the school board were conservative”.

And “the things that were said were downright outlandish,” Salins said. “They made fun of the parents. They made fun of our Republican delegates and senators.

Salins then played a video into her microphone of some of the comments she says were made at that conference. It was unclear who was making the variety of comments or in what context. “I don’t think lobbying has any place on this council,” said Salins, who later clarified that no taxpayer dollars should fund any lobbying group, whether it leans left or right.

During the community involvement segment of the board’s Wednesday meeting, two residents also criticized the school board’s involvement in VSBA and urged members not to renew its membership in the association for 2022-2023.

For example, Amber Morris (above on the podium), a member of the Front Royal city council, a Republican and friend of Salins, told school board members that groups like the VSBA lobby and use “new board members school as tools not only against parents, but also against Republicans. , making it hard to keep politics out of the way no matter which aisle you sit in.

Then Morris said, “Why use our taxpayers’ money to fund a left-wing lobby group?”

Also during the community engagement segment of the school board meeting, Chair Kristen Pence read letters sent by seven residents objecting to the board’s membership in the VSBA, which they say is a partisan organization and strongly biased which is also anti-kin.

School board member Andrea Lo said her experience with VSBA was different than Salins and she described a VSBA conference she attended in November 2021 that was not a lobbying conference and no one has specifically addressed politics. Instead, Lo said, conference attendees were “targeting schools specifically.”

During one of the general conference sessions, Lo also said that an announcement was made that the VSBA was pulling out of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) because the NSBA had supported comments that were allegedly made by President Joe Biden regarding the investigation of parents who spoke to the school board. meetings.

“I think if there are points where liberals are upset and points where conservatives are upset, maybe [VSBA] is more in the middle of the road,” Lo said, adding that the VSBA is a member-driven organization that responded to what the local members wanted in this case, which was against the VSBA’s support of the NSBA and to the comments of a Democratic president. “I don’t think it’s a liberal decision,” she said.

Lo also asked what other political advice would be available to the Warren County School Board if it decided not to renew its political services agreement with VSBA. And she asked Ballenger if he had analyzed that information with council counsel.

The superintendent said he did, noting that in the first year the initial cost to the school board would be $40,000 to $50,000 to bring in a lawyer and review the policies, their implementation and their use, and to ensure compliance with federal or state laws. After that, the price would vary from year to year depending on newly released or updated laws and guidelines.

“I want to make sure that at a time when we are still trying to get our budget approved for the 2022-23 school year, we are not now going to add $50,000 or $40,000 in attorney fees to us. make sure we don’t get into a liability issue,” said school board president Kristen Pence. “What’s our other plan?” »

Ballenger said another plan could be for a WCPS Central Office staffer to “follow what’s happening legislatively.” Then, if Warren County decided to handle this work on its own, the school division and board would have to go through such legislation and try to write their own policies based on what comes out in a new law or guidelines put in place. updated, for example. But that work would also have to be reviewed by a lawyer who would charge on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Ballenger said he was not aware of any other entity that might provide such services beyond what is provided by the VSBA or a lawyer, and he said it was important that the school board ensures that its policies are regularly updated. “Because that’s where you can get in trouble,” he said.

Citing both budgetary concerns and the need to have a plan in place before leaving the VSBA, council member Antoinette Funk (above) asked the school board to file an action on the point until so that the members can address it in more detail during the working session on August 17. .

“We need to make sure we’re supported in our policies,” Funk said. “I’m not comfortable deciding that right now because I need to know what our plan is moving forward.”

School board vice president Ralph Rinaldi seconded the motion, which was approved by all board members, including vice president Ralph Rinaldi, Pence, Funk, Lo and Salins. They also tabled a related item on the selection of a school board delegate and alternate delegate to attend the 2022 VSBA Annual Convention.

Most school board members agreed that the board should not use taxpayer dollars to fund VSBA’s lobbying efforts.

Watch the Warren County School Board meeting on August 3, 2022 here.