Candidates running write-in campaigns for the Isle of Wight school board were considered for appointment to the board. Here are the application packets they submitted to the school board:
All three candidates campaigning for the District 1 school board seat are first-time candidates and were considered for appointment to the seat.
Ryder did not respond to a request for an interview. The resume he submitted to the Isle of Wight School Board for appointment shows he’s worked in school district finance since 2012. Ryder is retired now, and his last held position was Assistant Superintendent of Finance for the East Aurora school district in Illinois.
“Every financial decision ultimately affected classrooms, teachers, families, and the future of the community,” Ryder wrote to the board. “That perspective has shaped both my career and my appreciation for the important role that thoughtful school board governance plays in the success of a school division.”
Hayes runs a nonprofit called Daniel’s Blessing. She said it’s meant to expose kids to experiences they may not otherwise have. Each year, for example, she brings participants to the Virginia Opera.
Hayes has an adult child and moved to Isle of Wight five years ago.
“When people say, ‘You don’t have a kid in school, why do you want to do this?’ Because I have kids. … (They’re not) my biological kids, but they are my kids, and I care about them. I care about their future.”
Hayes has been on a number of community boards, including the Smithfield Schoolhouse Museum board and the Norfolk Botanical Gardens President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion.
Hayes isn’t ready to say what she would like to work on as a school board member. Instead, she said, her focus will be to bring people together to begin work.
“Listening,” she said. “Listening to the kids, listening to parents, listening to the staff. “People feel like they’re not heard, so I just want to bring (them) together. … Maybe we can get more things done.”
Brown, however, has several ideas on what he would focus on as a school board member. His wife was a teacher and now works part-time in schools. He also has two children in Isle of Wight schools.
He said he would like to ensure there are better services for students who need them – specifically students in gifted education and young students who need special education resources.
Brown said his family struggled to make sure one of his children was being challenged enough, and wants to build on some recent programming the district has introduced for gifted students, such as a districtwide day focused on science, technology and art topics.
“If our kids aren’t necessarily getting seen, there’s probably a lot of other kids that aren’t either, and they need somebody willing to speak up for them,” Brown said.
He said he would like to focus on how long it takes to identify students who need accommodations, and would like to find a way to make that process faster.
School security and food services are also priorities for Brown.
“We have a widely varied economic population in Isle of Way County, and a lot of kids they’re not getting regularly fed unless they are coming to school,” he said. “We need to take care of the kids because if they’re hungry, they’re not learning.”
Freelance reporter Nash Phillips contributed to this report.
