Kelley announces re-election bid to School Board

Press Release

James Kelley has announced that he is seeking re-election as the Palmyra representative to the Fluvanna County School Board.  His campaign kick-off and barbecue will be held Saturday, May 27 from 6 to 8 p.m.

“When I took office in 2020, who could have imagined what the next four years would hold.  In the face of significant challenges, our students, teachers and staff accomplished so much over the past four years including:

Full accreditation for all our schools for the ninth consecutive year;

On-time graduation rate of 95.7 percent and dropout rate of 1.37 percent in 2022;

A total of 37 students receiving AP Scholar awards;

Students winning the first-ever unified athletic championship of the Special Olympic Games USA with 15 gold, 4 silver and1 bronze medal in 2022;

The high school winning its fifth Virginia Speech and Debate Forensics championship.

I’m proud of what our school board has accomplished over the past four years, including: 

Increasing staff salary 5 percent annually in 2021 and2022;

Eliminating inequitable teacher scales (formerly known as Scale A and Scale B);

Insulating staff from the rising cost of health insurance;

Expanding internet access to support digital learning in Fluvanna County;

Hiring new teachers and lowering K-12 class sizes by leveraging federal money;

Adding critical reading, math and behavioral specialists to provide individualized learning plans.

I am particularly proud of this past budget cycle, where the School Board passed a budget request of $2.67m and was funded $2.2m by the Board of Supervisors.  This year’s budget resulted in:

A 7-13 percent staff salary increase as a result of our competitive salary study;

A new division-wide mental health coordinator position to better meet the increasing needs our students face;

A much-needed assistant principal at Central Elementary

“This campaign season provides an opportunity for us all to invest in the future of Fluvanna. Together we can ensure that Fluvanna County Public Schools is a division that meets the needs of all students and families.”