Our schools. Our questions. Our voice.
Action matters. So does communication. Ask for a community town hall—with real questions, clear answers, and a plan to follow through.
The board will choose our next permanent superintendent and set the policies that shape every ACPS school. Its decisions deserve your attention—and your questions.
Why the School Board mattersSchools can serve more than one voting district. Your home address determines your representative.
Choose a school to see the district member or members ACPS lists for its community.
Confirm your district on the official maps, or call the board office at 434-972-4055.
Prepare my town-hall requestThe Albemarle County School Board is the seven-member public body that governs ACPS: six district representatives and one countywide, at-large representative. About the board
The board will hire our next permanent superintendent—the leader responsible for running the entire school division. The board also evaluates the superintendent’s performance.
ACPS · permanent superintendent searchThe board adopts the policies that govern our schools, including student safety, staff conduct, instruction, and relationships with families. The superintendent leads their implementation.
ACPS · School Board policiesThe board’s choices help determine where resources go—from staffing and classroom support to buildings. Those decisions affect students’ daily experience.
ACPS · budget and planning processThat is why public engagement matters. We should expect board members to explain their decisions, listen to families and staff, ask hard questions of division leadership, and report back on what changes. A town hall is a practical place to start.
Rio representative Jim Dillenbeck deserves credit for organizing the September 30 town hall, sharing updates, and hearing parents’ concerns directly. Making room for that conversation is a meaningful step. Every district deserves that kind of engagement—and follow-through.
Read Cville Right Now’s October 1 town-hall coverageRequest an open conversation with your board member and a public record of what happens next.
This is a request for engagement and accountable processes. It does not assume wrongdoing by anyone placed on leave.
Choose your school and recipient before editing. Changing a choice creates a fresh draft.
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employees reportedly placed on leave in 30 days
At his September 30 town hall, Jim Dillenbeck said that, to his knowledge, at least 15 employees had been placed on administrative leave in the preceding 30 days. This is his reported account, not a published ACPS personnel tally.
Cville Right Now · October 1, 2026A selected timeline, March–October 2026. Reporting, official actions, and unresolved questions are distinguished below. Administrative leave alone does not establish misconduct; criminal charges are allegations unless resolved by a court.
ACPS notified families that Beth Costa (Monticello), John Wheeler (Baker-Butler), and Christie Isaiah (Woodbrook) would be away for an extended period. Cville Right Now reported that ACPS declined to explain the reasons and said the absences were unrelated to the Swiney and Clark cases. 29News reported a Monticello student walkout on September 30.
Ask: Who is leading each school, how is instruction being supported, and when will families receive another update?
Cville Right Now · September 28 · 29News · September 30Storm was appointed to fill Allison Spillman’s vacancy. ACPS announced a scheduled October 8 swearing-in and a term ending in December 2027. His individual email and phone were still blank in the official directory when checked October 1.
ACPS appointment announcement · September 25The board directed ACPS to hire Harman, Claytor, Corrigan & Wellman to investigate the division. Local reporting documented concerns about the firm’s prior representation of ACPS. The Crozet Gazette reported on September 4 that the agreement had not been released as of its publication.
Ask: Publish the review’s scope, safeguards for independence, milestones, and a plan to share findings.
Cville Right Now · August 4 · Crozet Gazette · September 4C-VILLE Weekly reported that the board adopted a professional boundaries policy on July 16. Separately, assistant superintendent Patrick McLaughlin was placed on leave following sexual-harassment allegations. Dillenbeck said at the September 30 town hall that McLaughlin remained on leave. An allegation or leave status is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Ask: How are the new safeguards being implemented and checked in every school?
C-VILLE Weekly · July 22 · Cville Right Now · October 1 updateACPS announced Joe McCauley’s resignation as Hollymead principal after his administrative leave began in June, according to Cville Right Now.
Cville Right Now · July 9ACPS appointed Dr. Chandra Hayes acting superintendent on June 17 for the 2026–27 school year. On June 20, ACPS announced that Dr. Matthew Haas’s separation was effective immediately. A permanent superintendent search is planned with community input.
ACPS · Hayes appointment · ACPS · Haas resignationAlbemarle County Police announced Michael J. Swiney’s June 3 arrest on 11 felony charges involving alleged sexual contact with children. Police said their investigation began in January. At a June 10 Hollymead community meeting, parents challenged the division’s handling of the case and communication with families, Cville Right Now reported.
Ask: What is the process for reporting concerns, notifying affected families, and verifying follow-through?
ACPD · June 4 announcement · Cville Right Now · June 10 · ACPS recording & follow-upFormer Woodbrook teacher Nicholas Clark was arrested in March on child sexual abuse material charges. In its September 29 report, 29News reported that he had since pleaded guilty to possession charges. This is a separate case from the allegations against Swiney.
Cville Right Now · arrest and case background · 29News · September 29 updateCountywide · At-large appointee
Appointed September 24; swearing-in scheduled for October 8. Direct contact details are not yet published. Contact the board office and ask it to route your message.
schoolboard@k12albemarle.orgDivision leadership
Acting Superintendent · 2026–27 school year
The superintendent leads division operations and is not a School Board member.
Full board: schoolboard@k12albemarle.org · Office: 434-972-4055
401 McIntire Road, Room 345B, Charlottesville, VA 22902. The clerk also receives messages sent to the full-board address.
ACPS’s official list places several schools in multiple magisterial districts. Your residence determines your district. The finder displays every district ACPS lists for a school; it does not infer where you live or use your school’s street address.
ACPS still lists “Mountain View Elementary” under Samuel Miller and Scottsville, without separately mapping the new primary and upper schools. Those schools, countywide programs, and unlisted schools use the home-district route here.
Official district list and maps · Ask the board office: 434-972-4055
Ask for a published date, an accessible location, remote access, questions submitted in advance, time for live questions, and written follow-up. If a question cannot be answered, ask why, what can be shared, and when the community will hear more.
The suggested 14-day reply window in the email is a community request, not a claim about a legal deadline. The request seeks process, safety, and continuity information while respecting student privacy and confidential personnel matters.
Use the official School Board page for current agendas, meeting access, recordings, and public-comment instructions. Check the current agenda before attending; a board meeting and a community town hall have different formats.
Your school selection and draft are held only in this page while it is open. This site does not save your draft, collect email addresses, or send messages. “Open in email” passes the draft to your email app; you decide whether to send it. Avoid including a child’s private information in a general board message.