Rio District School Board member Jim Dillinbeck spotlights elementary reading as top priority

Jim Dillinbeck, the Rio District representative on the Albemarle County School Board, said his top priority is improving elementary reading scores across the county.

Speaking about conversations with neighbors and community members, Dillinbeck said he wants "Albemarle County [to] continue to be one of the best places in the Commonwealth of Virginia to send your kids to public schools." He framed early reading proficiency as essential to students' later success: "My highest priority would be to help improve reading scores among elementary kids. That's, in my opinion, that's the cornerstone to a solid, public school system."

Dillinbeck cited his local experience as part of his perspective, saying he "taught and coached back at Albemarle High School back in the nineties," and said he has seen progress that he wants the district to build on so students can "go on to college or career." He described schools in his district as "incredibly diverse," with students from a range of socioeconomic and family backgrounds, and said that diversity is a strength the board should support. He also said he wants families who feel underrepresented to "turn things around and really feel like they're a part of the school community."

Dillinbeck did not specify particular programs, budget amounts, timelines, or performance targets for improving reading scores during these remarks. He spoke generally about maintaining and strengthening recent progress rather than announcing a formal motion, spending plan, or policy change.

The remarks focused on priorities and local experience; no formal board actions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript segments.