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Residents urge board to appoint Brenda Johnson to interim school board seat; interviews held in closed session
Summary
Several Chesapeake residents publicly urged the board to select Brenda Johnson as the interim school-board member during the public-comment period; the board conducted interviews for the open seat in closed session earlier in the meeting.
Several residents used the board's public-comment time to urge the Chesapeake School Board to appoint Brenda Johnson as the interim member to fill a vacant school-board seat.
"I strongly endorse Mrs. Brenda Johnson for the open school board position," said Sharon Early, identifying herself as a Chesapeake resident. Debbie Rountree, also speaking as a resident, said Brenda Johnson is "a familiar face" and "no stranger to the board," and described Johnson's community recognition and service. Tanya Gill, a local business owner, said she had known Johnson through women's-chamber initiatives and described Johnson as "passionate about Chesapeake Public Schools" and experienced on CTE advisory work.
The statements came after the board had already convened a closed session to "discuss personnel matters, including interviews for the vacant school board seat and administrative appointments," a motion read into the record under the Code of Virginia.
Board Chair Angie Swiger opened the meeting noting that a closed session was needed; the board voted to enter closed session pursuant to the Code of Virginia section 2.2-3711 subsections A1 and A2 for personnel and student matters. The board later returned to open session and announced that the only items discussed were those cited in the motion to convene.
Speakers at the podium asked the board to consider Brenda Johnson's prior board service, community honors (including an auditorium named after her and a lifetime achievement award, as described by Tanya Gill), and her work supporting schools and career-and-technical-education initiatives. The board did not publicly announce an appointment during the meeting; the closed-session interviews took place earlier in the agenda and the board did not disclose a selection in open session.
The board's practice is to "receive information" during public comment and not to engage in dialogue during that period; staff will evaluate concerns and provide responses if appropriate, the board stated.
