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Matthews County School Board deadlocks, rejects renewal of VSBA membership after lengthy debate
Summary
After an extended, sometimes heated discussion over cost, transparency and lobbying, the Matthews County School Board voted 3–3 on June 16 and did not renew membership in the Virginia School Boards Association. Supporters cited training and legal resources; opponents said VSBA is too political and nontransparent.
On June 16, 2026, the Matthews County School Board voted on whether to renew its membership in the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) for the 2026–27 year and the motion failed on a 3–3 roll‑call tie.
Board member Hannah Bohan Stewart said she opposed renewal because she views VSBA as “too much of a political organization,” criticized bundling of delegate votes at the VSBA annual conference, and raised concerns about VSBA’s transparency and a pending FOIA-related lawsuit. “I do not want to spend any of the taxpayer money that funds us on an organization that lobbies the way the VSBA does,” she said, urging consideration of the smaller School Board Member Alliance (SBMA) as an alternative.
Mr. Morgan, who served as the board’s delegate at the VSBA conference, defended the association’s services, saying he has learned from VSBA trainings and that the organization provides law and policy resources many boards rely on. Other board members argued for a compromise of joining VSBA while also gaining access to SBMA resources.
Discussion also touched on practical implications: policy services from VSBA require whole-board membership, and the new governance platform vendors quote differently for members and nonmembers. Board members expressed concern that declining VSBA membership could increase the district’s costs for policy and governance services if an alternative provider’s pricing is higher.
After debate and a requested roll-call vote, the chair recorded three ayes and three nays; the motion to pay VSBA dues therefore did not pass. The board moved on to other business without renewing VSBA membership for the coming year.
The board did not attach individual vote names to the roll call in the public record of the meeting.
Next steps: board members discussed options including (a) maintaining no VSBA membership and pursuing SBMA resources, (b) re-checking cost estimates for governance policy platforms, or (c) seeking a dual approach (VSBA plus individual SBMA access) if feasible. The board did not make a final follow-up action during the meeting.
