Roanoke City personnel committee interviews school board applicants; public hearing set for May 20

Roanoke City Council’s personnel committee conducted interviews of applicants for vacancies on the Roanoke City School Board during a meeting in council chambers. Committee chair Trish White Boyd said the panel would ask each candidate seven questions and expected interviews to run about 20 minutes; the council scheduled a public hearing for May 20 at 7:00 p.m. and said it will announce appointments on June 3.

Incumbent trustee Michael Cherry told the panel the board’s role is to “promote excellence and synergy,” set policy and manage district finances, and that the superintendent’s job is to implement board policy and develop the district’s vision. Cherry said he wants to continue serving because “I love kids” and because Roanoke “gave a kid a chance,” and he emphasized increasing student voice — noting a student representative process he helped create — and addressing an immediate transportation question involving proposed time changes that he said will affect families’ work schedules.

“Transparency” and “giving that parent their voice” were recurring themes. Cherry and other applicants described expanded communications — mass texts, social media and public meetings — as approaches to increase parental involvement. Several candidates, including Cherry and Carrie Garnett (executive director of Junior Achievement of Southwest Virginia), said the board should listen to teachers and administrators when shaping budgets and to be candid with taxpayers about funding choices.

Transportation reliability was repeatedly raised as a pressing operational problem. Multiple applicants flagged spotty bus service and time changes that could disrupt family routines; one candidate urged that time changes not adversely affect younger children. Candidates suggested solutions ranging from better contract management to clearer multilingual communications for families who do not speak English as a first language.

Safety and experiential learning were also emphasized. Garnett said that safety is a top parental concern and recommended allocating funding to prevention and awareness campaigns and strengthening collaboration among police, school administrators and parents. On academic recovery and graduation rates, candidates highlighted career and technical programs and experiential learning — including reference to the Charles W. Day program — as ways to give students work-ready skills and boost outcomes.

Applicants gave varied descriptions of their financial experience. Cherry cited prior management roles at Optum Health and experience opening a treatment center; Garnett described overseeing a roughly $500,000 nonprofit budget; other candidates noted program-level budgeting and grant-writing experience. Several interviewees said a stable, agreed-upon funding framework between the school board and city council would help the district plan amid uncertainty over state funding.

The committee closed the interviews by reminding applicants they may bring supporters to the May 20 hearing; it recessed the meeting until May 13, when the council will consider adoption of the recommended fiscal year 2024–25 budget and other measures. The committee plans to make appointment decisions on June 3.

Next steps: a public hearing on May 20 at 7:00 p.m.; council appointment decisions expected June 3. No formal appointment votes were recorded during the session.