Superintendent and school principals reviewed school performance and improvement plans, highlighted gains in mastery and chronic absenteeism reductions, reported the high school as "distinguished" with a 94.7 score, and urged sustaining investments in support staff, SSOs and permanent substitutes to preserve instructional gains.
The Orange County School Board advanced an interim agreement with Gilbane Construction under the PPEA for a new Career and Technical Education facility aimed to open in 2027; the public hearing drew no speakers and the administration said negotiations will continue toward a comprehensive agreement when local funding is secured.
The board approved revisions to policy JRCA to align vendor contracts with Virginia code; staff said the Virginia student-data binding agreement requires vendors to document how they will handle and delete data and that the district has received written deletion verification in past cases.
At its annual reorganization meeting the Orange County School Board elected Darlene Dawson as chair and Jack Rickett as vice chair, approved clerk and deputy clerk assignments, adopted governance norms and the 2026 meeting calendar, and designated signature authorities through Jan. 31, 2027.
The board approved a recommendation to declare multiple vehicles and eight aging school buses surplus and authorized disposal via GovDeals; transportation staff said there are ongoing bus-driver openings and described non-CDL 14-passenger training options.
The Orange County School Board authorized staff to begin negotiations for an interim contract with Gilbane Construction, partnering with RRMM architects, to build a career and technical education (CTE) facility at the high school; the motion passed unanimously.
Board heard that Syntegix onboarding is substantially complete, badges are connected to the 9‑1‑1 center, a $250,000 Virginia School Safety Equipment Grant will fund camera replacement at Locust Grove Middle School, and plans are underway to overhaul the high‑school PA system.
Division leaders told the board Dec. 9 that under the VDOE's new accountability system all nine schools are fully accredited, chronic absenteeism has fallen substantially (high school recent run ~18%), and the Class of 2025 graduation rate is about 97.5%.
Staff told the board it accepted an unsolicited PPEA proposal from Gilbane Building Company at a prior special meeting and opened a 45‑day public notice period for competing proposals; the deadline given was Dec. 23 and interviews are tentatively scheduled Jan. 5–9, 2026, with a contractor recommendation expected Jan. 12, 2026.
The board approved an amended agenda, certified a closed session, authorized multiple personnel actions and approved waivers of compulsory attendance for pupil personnel cases PP2025‑13 through PP2025‑19. The closed‑session certification passed by roll call 4‑0.