Charlottesville school board elects Lisa Torres chair, names Leslie Thacker clerk and honors teachers of the year
Summary
At its reorganizational meeting, the Charlottesville City Schools board elected Lisa Torres as chair and Amanda Burns as vice chair, approved clerks, and recognized school- and division-level Teachers of the Year before taking up agenda items including grants and the program of studies.
Lisa Torres was elected board chair by voice vote at the Charlottesville City Schools school board reorganizational meeting. The board also confirmed Amanda Burns as vice chair and appointed Leslie Thacker as board clerk and Julia Green as deputy board clerk.
The meeting opened with board roll call and a brief set of remarks from the new chair, who thanked colleagues and staff for their work. Dr. Anna Eiseley and the division’s human-resources director recognized school-level Teachers of the Year from across the division, including Bree Barnes (Greenbrier Elementary), Jessica Chow (Jackson-Via Elementary), Kelly Farr (Summit Elementary), Laura Shea (Sunrise Elementary), Hillary Bradley (Tall Oaks Elementary), Mikayla Adkins (Trailblazer Elementary), Emma Sutphin (Walker Upper Elementary and division Teacher of the Year), Cody Logan (Charlottesville Middle School band), Amanda Williams (Charlottesville High School English) and Anthony Smith (KTEC ESL). "We are so fortunate in CCS to have such strong educators who go above and beyond for our students every day," Dr. Eiseley said.
The board approved the meeting agenda and the consent agenda on voice votes with no items pulled. During the consent‑agenda discussion staff described a McKinney‑Vento subgrant of $23,676 that will be used to reduce barriers for eligible students by funding items such as transportation, extracurriculars, summer school and assistance obtaining birth certificates and other documents.
The meeting continued with public comments and substantive agenda items later in the evening. The board set follow-up actions on several items, including distribution of physical curriculum samples and further information on an AI feature in a recommended math curriculum.
The board scheduled a budget work session for Jan. 22, a development work session Jan. 24, and the next regular meeting for Feb. 5 when the superintendent’s proposed FY 2027 budget will be presented.
