Winchester schools outline draft AI plan for teachers and students
May 12, 2026 | WINCHESTER CITY PBLC SCHS, School Districts, Virginia
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Dr. Bula presented a draft artificial intelligence plan for the next school year, saying the division is entering year three of its AI work and intends to expand student and staff use while stressing privacy and approved tools.
"Our goal has always been to have our students prepared," Dr. Bula told the board, and she described an aspirational target that "100% of our teachers by 2030 are using AI to differentiate," with a nearer-term goal that teachers reach at least 'level 2' of district professional development by the end of next year.
The plan would continue district access to Google Gemini for students in grades 9–12, provide multiple professional‑development pathways (levels 1–3), and introduce an "AI ambassador" role to extend instructional technology coaching at school sites. Staff said asynchronous Canvas modules would launch around August and school‑based coaching and PLC work would differentiate training by subject and grade level.
Board members pressed staff on specific issues. One member asked whether the district pays for the 'pro' version of Gemini for all users; staff said licensing depends on the district workspace and that versions have shifted over time. Another asked about accuracy and the need to train students to verify AI output; Dr. Bula said common‑sense‑media training and verification steps are part of the PD plan.
The board discussed third‑party vendors that market AI tools to teachers and said the division intentionally has not adopted some vendor offerings districtwide. "Those are the ones we intentionally have chosen not to adopt district wide and paid for," a board member said, noting the district prefers to rely on the native Gemini tool and approved platforms.
Dr. Bula also flagged privacy and integrity as "nonnegotiables" and said the district will maintain an approved‑tools list and route teachers to ITCs for implementation questions. She described checkpoints, ambassador recruitment (she estimated possibly eight ambassadors to start), and plans for a student/teacher showcase on AI use.
The presentation closed with staff indicating the draft will be refined prior to the August rollout and that the task force will continue to guide decisions.
"Our goal has always been to have our students prepared," Dr. Bula told the board, and she described an aspirational target that "100% of our teachers by 2030 are using AI to differentiate," with a nearer-term goal that teachers reach at least 'level 2' of district professional development by the end of next year.
The plan would continue district access to Google Gemini for students in grades 9–12, provide multiple professional‑development pathways (levels 1–3), and introduce an "AI ambassador" role to extend instructional technology coaching at school sites. Staff said asynchronous Canvas modules would launch around August and school‑based coaching and PLC work would differentiate training by subject and grade level.
Board members pressed staff on specific issues. One member asked whether the district pays for the 'pro' version of Gemini for all users; staff said licensing depends on the district workspace and that versions have shifted over time. Another asked about accuracy and the need to train students to verify AI output; Dr. Bula said common‑sense‑media training and verification steps are part of the PD plan.
The board discussed third‑party vendors that market AI tools to teachers and said the division intentionally has not adopted some vendor offerings districtwide. "Those are the ones we intentionally have chosen not to adopt district wide and paid for," a board member said, noting the district prefers to rely on the native Gemini tool and approved platforms.
Dr. Bula also flagged privacy and integrity as "nonnegotiables" and said the district will maintain an approved‑tools list and route teachers to ITCs for implementation questions. She described checkpoints, ambassador recruitment (she estimated possibly eight ambassadors to start), and plans for a student/teacher showcase on AI use.
The presentation closed with staff indicating the draft will be refined prior to the August rollout and that the task force will continue to guide decisions.
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