Four at-large seats are up for grabs on the Chesapeake School Board. Of the 10 candidates, four are incumbents. Read more about them here.
Sam L. Boone Jr.
Age: 53
Candidate’s job title/company: Virginia Parole Board member
Education: Bachelor’s, Norfolk State University
Previous elected offices held: Elected 2012 School Board
Website: None
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
I host an annual teen mental health forum to discuss the early warning signs and provide resources to the students. The School Board should continue to make student mental health a top priority buy adding additional services, training for teachers and programs that support students and their families.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
The most pressing issue is recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers. The best way to address it would be better pay, more support, and less political issues.
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Elijah Colon
Age: 44
Candidate’s job title/company: Bulk account manager Coca-Cola Consolidated
Education: Some college or professional certification, General Studies Tidewater Community College
Website: www.Voteelijahcolon.com
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
We can better address the issue of students’ mental health by implementing the following strategies: 1. Increase access to mental health within schools, such as counselors. 2. Provide mental education programs that teach students about mental health issues, coping mechanisms, and how to seek help if needed. This can help reduce stigma surrounding mental health and encourage students to seek help when necessary. 3. Collaborate with community mental health organizations to provide additional support and resources for students.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
One of the most pressing issues in our division is the allocation of our budget needs. For example, we have a teacher and staff shortage, which affects the daily operations and safety of our schools, having a direct impact on students and families. Additionally, our facilities are aging and in need of updates and maintenance, highlighting the urgent need to prioritize our capital investments to provide students with a clean and safe learning environment.
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Gregory G. Dono
Age: 45
Candidate’s job title/company: Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
Education: Juris Doctor, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law
Military service: U.S. Marine Corps
Website: www.votefordono.com
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
School Boards can address mental health issues by first being more receptive to the emotional needs and challenges of the students and staff. By creating policies and practices that allow students to feel respected and safe within the schools allows students and staff to feel comfortable expressing themselves and asking for help. Lastly, funding needs to be allocated to hiring mental health professionals and expanding social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in the school district to help address this growing concern.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
Funding and their allocation is an issue for Chesapeake Schools. We need to search out, request and obtain more funding for our schools and the allocation of those funds needs to be revisited and more closely scrutinized. There needs to be more transparency and honesty in how our school funds are spent and who that money goes to. We do that by being proactive in reaching out to alternative funding sources, e.g., private industry partners, to find and apply for programs that offer resources for our schools. To address where the funds go we need to move away from the current group-think mentality and start pushing back and asking questions about funding decisions. There needs to be time and effort put forth to engage in open and honest debate in order to drill down to the root cause of our district’s biggest problems so that we can direct funds to where they are most needed.
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Malia L. Huddle
Age: 65
Candidate’s job title/company: Retired school counselor
Education: Master’s, Old Dominion University
Website: www.maliahuddle.org
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
As a retired school counselor, I’d love to see the number of counselors increased in every school. Counselors should be able to spend their time in direct interaction with students rather than dealing with test administration and other assigned duties that interfere with one-on-one, direct interaction with students. Reducing counselor caseloads would also be beneficial along with ensuring that each school has a highly qualified counseling team that includes school counselors, school social workers and school psychologists who can work cooperatively to support students and their families.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
Hiring and retention of bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians remains an ongoing issue. Staffing these vital support positions and retaining these staff members is essential to the broader educational mission. Student learning is directly impacted when students cannot get to the building and to class on time because there are not enough drivers to cover the bus routes. Cafeteria workers and custodial staff also play a vital role in supporting student learning by ensuring that students are fed and that facilities are clean and functional. All too often, this vital part of the educational team is overlooked and undervalued. We must provide a living wage, an attractive benefits package, ongoing and appropriate training, and opportunities for advancement in order to adequately staff these areas.
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Thomas L. Mercer Sr.
Age: 68
Candidate’s job title/company: Pastor, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Chesapeake
Education: Master’s, Barton College; Master’s, The Divinity School, Duke University
Previous elected offices held: School Board since 1996
Website: www.mercerforschoolboard.net
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
Integrate mental health education into the school curriculum teaching students about mental health, coping strategies and how to seek help. We can help do this by providing well-trained counselors, psychologists, and social workers and providing ongoing training for teachers and staff to recognize and respond to mental health issues. Enforcing strong anti-bullying policies is integral to creating this environment where students feel comfortable discussing and seeking help. It is important to partner with parents and guardians in accomplishing all this. Chesapeake is striving to accomplish these policies and this environment.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
Addressing the teacher shortage. As a board member, I have and will continue to support the best compensation and benefits package possible. I continue to advocate for the best workplace environment possible and to respect and support the professionals who answer the call to teach. Chesapeake is the desired location for teachers in this region and I will strive to continue to make it the destination for the best to want come to teach our children.
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Norman G. Pool
Age: 65
Candidate’s job title/company: CEO NorthStar 1st Response
Education: Master’s, Liberty University
Previous elected offices held: School Board
Military service: United States Navy (23 years)
Website: www.normanpool2022.com
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
There are a multitude of ways to address mental health issues for students, staff, and families who need assistance. The first would be to increase student awareness of mental health issues and give them assurances that our team is here to help. This can be done by increasing educational components that help identify the need for assistance. We need to promote sensitivity to students, staff, and family acknowledging their needs and give them opportunities to receive help from counselors and mental health professionals. We need to promote an environment that allows for the ability to promote an interactional responsive, and effective understanding of mental health issues. We need to address the ability to have cohesiveness between students, staff, and family members in order to enhance the ability to meet mental health concerns.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
School Safety is a priority for our schools. This school year we are adding additional school resource officers to our elementary schools. These new officers will be in addition to the Chesapeake sheriff’s officers added in the 2023 -2024 school year. With this addition, there will be two sheriff deputy sergeants, who will be offering additional support to our school SROs. The addition of sheriff’s officers will set a standard for one deputy for two elementary schools. We will continue to have support from the Chesapeake Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office to provide a safe environment for our students and staff. Another area of help with our security of students is to continue the implementation of ID badges which currently applies to all elementary schools, with a plan to eventually roll this out to a full implementation.
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L. Jameel Shaheer
Age: 52
Candidate’s job title/company: Business consultant, Shaheer and Assoc.
Education: Master’s, University of Texas
Military service: U.S. Air Force
Website: www.Jameelshaheer.com
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
Implement comprehensive mental health programs: Develop and integrate school-based mental health programs with counseling services, mental health education, and crisis intervention protocols. More access to mental health professionals: Hire more counselors, psychologists and social workers, aiming for a 1:250 ratio as recommended by the American School Counselor Association Promote a positive school climate: Have a safe, inclusive and supportive environment with anti-bullying programs, peer support networks and social-emotional learning (SEL). Provide professional development for staff: Offer regular training on mental health awareness and trauma-informed practices. Engage families and communities: Involve parents in mental health initiatives with resources and workshops. Monitor and evaluate mental health initiatives: Regularly assess program effectiveness through data collection, surveys and feedback.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
One of the most pressing issues is ensuring the budget benefits all students, educators and staff. Conduct a comprehensive budget review: Analyze expenses, income, grants and all funds to identify inefficiencies and cost savings. Engage stakeholders: Involve representatives from each group in budget discussions to ensure all needs are considered. Prioritize essential services: Ensure adequate funding for classroom resources, nutrition programs, transportation and maintenance. Seek additional funding: Pursue grants, partnerships and community donations to supplement income. Implement cost-saving measures: Adopt energy-efficient upgrades, bulk purchasing and streamlined administrative processes. Monitor financial performance: Regularly review and report financial status to maintain transparency. Invest in professional development: Allocate funds for training educators and support staff.
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Daniel A. Stahler
Age: 54
Candidate’s job title/company: Retired from Chesapeake Sheriff’s Office, currently a district security officer for the Norfolk and Newport News Federal courthouses
Education: Master’s, Liberty University
Military service: U.S. Navy: VA85 Attack Squadron, NAS Oceana
Website: www.danielstahler.com
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
Implement workshops and seminars to educate and provide resources for students, parents and staff. Integrate detailed mental health courses into the student curriculum. Invest in solutions by hiring certified mental health professionals, such as psychologists and counselors, to provide crisis intervention and external referrals. Establish peer support programs to train and educate students on assisting each other with mental health issues, using a reward or recognition system to encourage involvement. Provide training for teachers and staff to adequately prepare them for the mental health issues students face and incorporate strategies into the curriculum to address bullying, academic pressure, time management and the negative effects of social media.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
School overcrowding is a top priority as it leads to numerous issues: teachers struggle, discipline problems rise and effective learning is compromised. With Chesapeake’s growing student population, it’s crucial to address this by maintaining transparency and communication about funding. Expanding school facilities and hiring additional teacher assistants will help. Creative scheduling, like rotating elective classes, and providing student support such as tutoring can also ease overcrowded classrooms. While portable classrooms offer short-term relief, relying on them long-term has drawbacks. Setting a goal to reduce their use is essential for a sustainable solution.
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Angie B. Swygert
Angie Swygert did not respond to The Virginian-Pilot’s questionnaire.
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Rue M. Willis
Age: 23
Candidate’s job title/company: Substitute teacher, city of Chesapeake
Education: Bachelor’s, Old Dominion University
Website: www.ruewillis.com
Student mental health has been a growing concern for parents and schools. How can school boards address the issue?:
The ongoing mental illness epidemic has been made worse by the social isolation of the pandemic. Our school system must work quickly to effectively combat this crisis. Every school must have a dedicated school psychologist and social worker, peer support groups facilitated by those experts, and a curriculum that teaches mental health. Together, these will empower students and their families to identify and seek effective treatment for mental illness while equipping our youth with a critical life skill: making mental wellness a priority.
Name one of the most pressing issues for your division and how you would address it:
Pandemic-era learning loss has affected every student, due to social disconnection and poor adjustment to new learning environments. We must invest in personalized, in-person and online after-school tutoring sessions and expand our existing summer school programs, especially in schools with the largest learning gaps. These policies will ensure every student has the opportunity to excel.
