News Release
For Immediate Release
May 21, 2024
Contact
Gina Patterson, executive director
434-295-8722 or gina@vsba.org
Five School Divisions Complete VSBA’s Fiscal Governance Cohort Program
Charlottesville, VA – The Virginia School Boards Association recently completed its second annual Fiscal Governance Training Program, which saw board members and staff representing five schools – Brunswick County Public Schools, Fredericksburg City Public Schools, Greensville County Public Schools, Lunenburg County Public Schools, Newport News City Public Schools – come together in small groups to enhance their knowledge of governance, school finance, teaching and learning, budget management, and communication.
Through in-depth activities and discussions of best practices, participants had the chance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their school division fiscal governance teams and learn alongside other exceptional fiscal governance teams. The program included four training sessions that focused on the successful integration of school finance, instructional leadership, school division governance, and administration to improve student outcomes.
“It was an honor to participate in the 2024 VSBA Fiscal Governance Team Cohort,” said Lisa Surles-Law, chair of the Newport News School Board, “the opportunity to enhance our fiscal governance team’s effectiveness and efficiency, with the guidance of seasoned academic professionals was invaluable. By learning alongside other exceptional teams and sharing insights and strategies, we can lead to more informed decision-making processes. We received the knowledge necessary to implement more strategic and efficient financial practices, ultimately allowing us to allocate resources in ways that best support our students and staff in Newport News Public Schools.”
Five school divisions were selected to participate in the 2024 Cohort. It was important to facilitators to have a diverse sampling of school divisions from around Virginia to participate in the small group training to bring multiple perspectives to the table. The sessions allowed for school division staff and school board members to not only learn from the facilitators, but from one another through discussions and insight sharing. The Cohort members will have the opportunity to continue the relationships they have fostered through the training to benefit their school divisions and their communities.
VSBA Executive Director, Gina Patterson commended the participants stating, “This achievement reflects not only the individual efforts of the participants, but also the collaborative spirit and shared vision of the school division teams. The participants have undoubtedly strengthened their capacity to make informed decisions that will positively impact the fiscal health and sustainability of their school divisions.”
About the Virginia School Boards Association
Virginia School Boards Association, a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of Virginia school boards, promotes excellence in public education through leadership, advocacy, and support. The Association offers conferences, information, training, and counseling designed to meet the needs of the Commonwealth’s educational leaders.
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