Candidate Q&A: Brenda J. Johnson

What makes you the best candidate?

I make no claim to being the best candidate but I am fortunate enough at this time to be able to perform my duties as a board member full time. I have been able to work with other board members and council members to make some headway in reducing school overcrowding, and I have developed relationships with school staff throughout the system that allows them to talk to me about any concerns they have with the way the school system is operating or improvements that need to be made.

What should be the school district's top priority now, and how can it be achieved?

The temptation to defer new schools and renovations during this slowdown in the housing market and justify it by the downturn in current enrollment will raise its head in a tight economy. This willingness to defer buildings was a major problem in Chesapeake for a number of years. The recent city councils have committed the resources to begin moving ahead with school infrastructure needs. Improvement in school programs such as all-day kindergarten can only happen if there is space to accommodate it.

What do you think will be the school district's most pressing issue in 10 years, and how can the board prepare for it?

Space will continue to be the most pressing issue. SOLs, No Child Left Behind, and many other mandates will require more individualized instruction requiring smaller class sizes. Expansion in other areas such as the gifted program would require additional space.

The new board may hire a new superintendent in the coming years – what qualities will you seek in a new leader?

I will be looking for someone with a clear vision of the future for the Chesapeake school system and who can communicate that vision to the staff and the board. This person must be able to motive the staff to maintain and improve the reputation of the Chesapeake School system.

How effective are Virginia's Standards of Learning and the national No Child Left Behind initiatives in raising student achievement?

The SOLs have set a consistent standard for all schools to meet and has been pretty effective at measuring achievement. While the No Child Left Behind plan had laudable goals, the emphasis has been placed on punitive action and the measuring system still has problems. A system that would mark a school as failing because several members of the same subgroup were out sick on test day still needs work.

What can the school board do to address the longstanding achievement gap between different groups of students?

Substantial improvement has been made in the last few years. When I first ran for School Board four years ago, only one out of seven schools in the South Norfolk Borough was fully accredited; now all schools in Chesapeake are fully accredited. We have been able to offer all day kindergarten in our TitleI schools and have been working to reduce class size. Additional teaching specialists and remedial programs have helped as well as Pre-K programs. We must continue to explore new methods and techniques that will enable us to provide the best education possible.