Harrisonburg school board elects new chair and vice chair, affirms administrative appointments and VSBA code of conduct
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Summary
At its Jan. 6 organizational meeting the Harrisonburg City School Board elected Dr. Tim Howley as chair and Matt Snyder as vice chair for 2026, affirmed clerk and fiscal appointments, authorized superintendent reassignments, and adopted the VSBA Code of Conduct; votes were taken by voice and were uncontested in the record.
Dr. Tim Howley was elected chair of the Harrisonburg City School Board for 2026 after a nomination and a voice vote at the board’s organizational meeting on Jan. 6. By the same process the board approved Matt Snyder as vice chair for the coming year.
The board moved quickly through routine organizational business at the meeting, affirming appointments for clerk and deputy clerk, naming a fiscal agent and deputy fiscal agents, and designating chief officers (Joy Blosser, April Howard, Sean Prince and Sal Romero) to attend meetings in the superintendent’s absence. The board also approved a resolution authorizing the superintendent or designees to reassign school personnel during 2026 as needed to meet student needs, and adopted the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) Code of Conduct recommended in the board packet.
Why it matters: The organizational meeting sets leadership and administrative authority for the year. The reassignments resolution clarifies operational authority for staffing decisions that the superintendent said may be needed midyear to respond to student needs; the VSBA code signals the board’s stated commitment to the association’s model ethics and conduct standards.
Votes at a glance (recorded in the meeting record): - Elect chair: Dr. Tim Howley — nomination moved and seconded, approved by voice vote (no opposition recorded). (See meeting action: elect-chair) - Elect vice chair: Matt Snyder — nomination moved and seconded, approved by voice vote (no opposition recorded). (See meeting action: elect-vice-chair) - Affirm clerk and deputy clerk appointment (names cited in packet) — motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote. (See meeting action: appoint-clerk-deputy) - Appoint fiscal agent and deputy fiscal agents (Mr. Kerwin named as chief executive director for finance) — motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote. (See meeting action: appoint-fiscal-agent) - Designate designees to attend meetings in superintendent’s absence (Joy Blosser, April Howard, Sean Prince, Sal Romero) — motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote. (See meeting action: appoint-designees) - Resolution authorizing superintendent/designees to reassign staff during 2026 — motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote. (See meeting action: authorize-reassignment-resolution) - Appoint agents/deputy agents to examine and authorize claims/payments under Virginia Code — motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote; the board cited a Virginia Code provision verbally during the motion but did not specify the exact subsection in the transcript. (See meeting action: appoint-payment-agents) - Adopt VSBA Code of Conduct (resolution) — motion moved, seconded, approved by voice vote. (See meeting action: adopt-vsba-code)
What board members said: New Chair Howley opened by thanking his predecessors and emphasizing teamwork and service to students and families. Superintendent Dr. Richards framed the staffing reassignment resolution as a tool to meet student need while noting the option for staff appeals. The superintendent also presented plaques recognizing the previous leaders’ service in 2025 and invited board members to participate in public outreach such as a monthly radio program.
Context and clarification: Several items were approved by voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded in the transcript. The meeting transcript contains minor inconsistencies in spelling of several staff names as read aloud; the board packet was repeatedly referenced as the source of full names and detail. The board referred to the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) model code and to a Virginia Code citation when approving the payment-authority motion; the exact statutory subsection was not specified verbatim in the transcript.
Next steps: These organizational actions establish leadership and administrative authorities for 2026. No contested votes or formal challenges were recorded at the meeting. The board will continue committee work and attend planned conferences and advisory meetings noted in member reports.
