Portsmouth school board elects Cardell Patillo chair, names officers and committee delegates

At a Jan. 9 reorganizational meeting, the Portsmouth Public School Division board elected Cardell Patillo as chair and approved a slate of officers, committee assignments and delegates for 2025.

The board unanimously elected Cardell Patillo chair and chose Lakisha Atkinson as vice chair. The board also elected Cathy Chambers as clerk and Brenda Stewart as deputy clerk. The board approved a standing delegation giving the superintendent authority to reassign principals, teachers and staff during the school year, a routine annual action the board said it has taken previously.

The meeting included appointments of administrative agents and program representatives. Theodore Folt, identified in the meeting as the division’s chief financial officer, was named agent (with Dr. Bracey named deputy agent) and also was designated to act in the superintendent’s stead in the superintendent’s absence. The board reviewed and approved committee and delegate assignments, including delegates to the Virginia School Boards convention and representatives to regional education organizations.

Board members discussed committee priorities while making assignments. The chair said she intended special committees to reflect members’ interests and skills and noted plans to reactivate several standing committees, including equity and inclusion, discipline alternatives, career-technical education (CTE) and corporate sponsorships to support extracurricular programs.

The board also voted to enter a closed session under the Code of Virginia to consider personnel matters permitted by law. The motion cited Code of Virginia §2.2-3711 (personnel matters) as the authority for the closed meeting; the board recessed for the closed session and reconvened afterward.

Votes at a glance - Approval of Jan. 9 agenda — approved, roll call unanimous. - Designation of presiding officer (school board attorney until chair elected) — approved, unanimous. - Election of chair: Cardell Patillo — approved, unanimous. - Election of vice chair: Lakisha Atkinson — approved, unanimous. - Election of clerk: Cathy Chambers — approved, unanimous. - Election of deputy clerk: Brenda Stewart — approved, unanimous. - Approval of superintendent authority to assign/reassign staff during the year — approved, unanimous. - Appointment of agent and deputy agent (financial/operational designees): Theodore Folt (agent), Dr. Bracey (deputy agent) — approved, unanimous. - Appointment of superintendent designee to act in superintendent’s absence (Theodore Folt) — approved, unanimous. - Appointment of delegates/alternates for conventions and external boards (including VSB convention delegate Irene Boone and alternate Leticia Sutton; governor’s school director Jacqueline Walker and alternate listed by the board; WHRO representative Jacqueline Walker and alternate Lakisha Atkinson; and other regional representatives) — all approved, unanimous.

All roll-call votes recorded during the meeting were announced as unanimous. The board began the meeting with eight members present and one absent, and roll-call voting proceeded for each motion. The chair said committee membership and special appointments can be adjusted later if members and the chair agree.

The board did not take public-policy action beyond the organizational appointments and routine delegation of authority. No new ordinances, contracts or budget adoptions were proposed during the session.

Looking ahead, the chair urged new members to review board materials in BoardDocs ahead of the next meeting and noted that the Jan. 23 agenda would include the board’s first disciplinary case packet for new members to read under executive session materials.