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Parents and counselors urge Accomack County school board to reverse special‑education moves and revisit counselor pay
Summary
Multiple parents, teachers and mental‑health counselors told the Accomack County School Board that planned reassignments of special‑education teachers and recent pay‑scale changes threaten students’ progress and staff retention; the board later approved personnel actions after a closed session, and public speakers asked for written justifications and a review of classifications.
Multiple parents, teachers and mental‑health counselors used the public‑comment period at the Accomack County School Board’s June 17 meeting to press the board to reconsider recent special‑education staffing decisions and to revisit compensation changes affecting student‑support staff.
"Our students matter. Our students are valued," said Colby Burford, a kindergarten teacher at Chincoteague Elementary School, who told the board a decision to reassign special‑education staff would create "yet another area of inconsistency" for students who need continuity. Parent Tony Brady urged the board to keep his daughter's current teacher in place, saying, "By pulling the teacher from my daughter, this will . . . cause unnecessary regression and harm."
Several mental‑health counselors described duties that include individual and group counseling, crisis response and participation in behavior and IEP meetings, and said a recently adopted compensation schedule reduced their pay classification. "Our pay scale was reduced without clear justification," Catherine Hall told the board and submitted VDOE guidance and job descriptions asking the board to reclassify counselors as specialized student‑support personnel.
Why it matters: Parents and special‑education staff said the district’s repeated turnover and reassignments can seriously disrupt students’ progress, particularly for children with autism or other needs that depend on consistent care. Counselors warned that lower or unclear pay classifications risk losing experienced staff who provide crisis intervention and continuity of care.
What the board did: The meeting included a closed session for personnel and student matters; after reconvening the board approved multiple personnel recommendations and student discipline items, including readmission and suspension cases and one expulsion. The personnel list was approved by motion despite a recorded nay vote.
What’s next: Public commenters requested written justifications for staffing changes affecting students and asked the board to review the Evergreen compensation study results and counselor classifications. The board did not provide immediate operational reversals on the floor; speakers said they will follow up with the administration for details and documentation.
Reporting notes: Quotes and claims are taken from the board meeting public‑comment record. The board’s formal personnel actions were approved after a closed session; specifics of individual personnel changes were not read into the public record during open session.
