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Hampton School Board elects Reginald Woodhouse chair, names Stephanie Jackson Afongia vice chair and approves administrative appointments
Summary
At its annual organizational meeting Jan. 8, the Hampton City School Board swore in reelected members, elected Dr. Reginald Woodhouse as chair and Stephanie Jackson Afongia as vice chair, and approved a slate of administrative appointments including the clerk, deputy clerk, FOIA officer and superintendent designee.
The Hampton City School Board on Jan. 8 held its annual organizational meeting, swore in four reelected board members and elected Dr. Reginald Woodhouse as chair and Stephanie Jackson Afongia as vice chair.
The meeting, called to order by the superintendent in the absence of an elected chair, opened with the formal swearing-in of Dr. Tina Banks Gray, Anne Cherry, Stephanie Jackson Afongia and Dr. Reginald Woodhouse before the board moved to leadership nominations and administrative appointments.
Dr. Raymond Haynes, the superintendent, and Joy Charbonneau, the division clerk, presided over parts of the ceremony. Dr. Mason nominated Woodhouse for chair; Joe Kilgore seconded the nomination. The nomination passed on a roll-call vote: Stephanie Jackson Afongia (Aye), Joe Kilgore (Aye), Mister Samuels (Aye), Dr. Reginald Woodhouse (Aye), Dr. Mason (Aye); Dr. Tina Banks Gray (No), Anne Cherry (No). After the vote, the gavel was handed to Woodhouse and he thanked the board: "I would like to say thank you...I have enjoyed working with each of you because I feel we have always worked as a team," he said.
Board members then nominated and unanimously elected Stephanie Jackson Afongia as vice chair. The board approved the superintendent's recommendations for administrative roles: Joyce (Joy) Charbonneau as clerk of the school board; Elizabeth Penny as deputy clerk; John Casiano as superintendent designee; and Kelli Gore (listed in the record as Kelli Gorel) as the division's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer. The board also adopted its calendar of regular meeting dates for 2025 and accepted the consent agenda.
Several of those approvals were formal roll-call votes recorded in the meeting minutes. When the clerk's appointment was called, Dr. Mason voted No; the motion carried with the majority voting Aye. Other appointments recorded unanimous or near-unanimous Aye votes as noted in the meeting transcript.
Why it matters: organizational votes set leadership and administrative contacts who will shape board procedure, public records handling and representation of the superintendent in meetings for the coming year.
Votes at a glance
- Adopt agenda (motion to adopt Jan. 8, 2025 agenda as amended to include the swearing-in): mover Dr. Mason; second Joe Kilgore; vote: Tina Banks Gray (Aye), Anne Cherry (Aye), Stephanie Jackson Afongia (Aye), Joe Kilgore (Aye), Mister Samuels (Aye), Dr. Reginald Woodhouse (Aye), Dr. Mason (Aye). Outcome: Approved.
- Chair, Hampton City School Board (nomination of Dr. Reginald Woodhouse): mover Dr. Mason; second Joe Kilgore; vote: Stephanie Jackson Afongia (Aye), Joe Kilgore (Aye), Mister Samuels (Aye), Dr. Reginald Woodhouse (Aye), Dr. Mason (Aye); Tina Banks Gray (No), Anne Cherry (No). Outcome: Approved.
- Vice chair (nomination of Stephanie Jackson Afongia): mover (recorded as nomination); second recorded; vote: unanimous Aye by recorded members. Outcome: Approved.
- Clerk of the School Board (Joyce Charbonneau): mover Joe Kilgore; second recorded; vote: Anne Cherry (Aye), Tina Banks Gray (Aye), Stephanie Jackson Afongia (Aye), Mister Samuels (Aye), Joe Kilgore (Aye), Dr. Reginald Woodhouse (Aye), Dr. Mason (No). Outcome: Approved.
- Deputy clerk (Elizabeth Penny): mover Dr. Mason; second Miss O'Fonja; recorded roll call: unanimous Aye. Outcome: Approved.
- Regular meeting dates for 2025 (acceptance of recommended dates): mover recorded; second recorded; recorded vote: unanimous Aye. Outcome: Approved.
- Superintendent designee (Dr. John Casiano): mover recorded; second recorded; recorded vote: unanimous Aye. Outcome: Approved.
- FOIA officer (Kelli Gore): mover Joe Kilgore; second recorded; recorded vote: unanimous Aye. Outcome: Approved.
- Consent agenda (personnel report, minutes, closed-session certification, donations): mover recorded; second recorded; recorded vote: unanimous Aye. Outcome: Approved.
Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the Jan. 8 organizational meeting and are recorded in the meeting minutes; direct quotes come from the transcript.
Ending: The board completed the organizational business and moved on to recognitions and the rest of the regular agenda under Chair Woodhouse's leadership.
