School advocate Dart seeks Tuckahoe School Board seat

Editor’s note: This is one of a series of articles profiling candidates for the Henrico County School Board, all of whom will be up for election Nov. 5.

Melissa Dart, a member of the Henrico County Special Education Advisory Committee and mother of three boys attending Henrico schools, wants to improve the transparency and accountability of the Henrico County School Board by serving as the Tuckahoe District’s representative.

“I think there could be a little more — much more, actually — input gotten from teachers, and families, and constituents, whether they have kids in school or not – and accountability,” Dart said.

An example, she said, is the decision the board made earlier this year to pull funding from the MathScience Innovation Center and use it elsewhere during the 2019-2020 school year.

The decision came after county budget officials had presented to constituents, who were upset and petitioned the board but were largely ignored in Dart’s estimation.

Dart also takes issue with the way School Board meetings are structured, because they typically don’t allow for dialogue between board members and constituents. During a general meeting of the board, a constituent can make a public comment, but board members usually do not respond. (Previous versions of the board historically have used this structure, too.)

Dart would like to consider moving the time that board work sessions take place, because currently they are held in the middle of the work day, she said. She recognizes that the logistics can be complex and that changing the time might not be possible.

Dart is involved in several education committees and has been an advocate for her son, Leo, who is a special education student. Being an advocate and a parent of children in Henrico schools keeps her aware of the issues, Dart said.

“You really get to know the schools, the system, the players, central office, the teachers, the counselors, and you get to know how it all works, and also engaging with other parents,” she said, citing a time when another parent informed her that her son qualified for Medicaid after a new diagnosis.

She also is an ex-officio member of the Henrico County Public Schools Equity and Advisory Committee and serves as co-chair of the Subcommittee on Identification and Placement.

In that capacity, she is working to implement changes advised in the Henrico County Public Schools equity and parent engagement study conducted by Anne Holton, Adai Tefera, Melissa Cuba and Ashlee Lester. Dart also has been president of the parent board at Rainbow Station (now LeafSpring School), which provides early education, child care and leadership development programs.

Dart works in and has a master’s degree in healthcare administration, which she said is useful experience for the school board.

“When you sit on a school board, you’re managing an enormous budget, and you’re doing staffing, and you’re doing personnel, and that’s what I do at my day job, so to speak,” she said. “I think you need to bring your passion for education, which I absolutely have, and my experience with navigating the system, which I have, with business skills.”

Dart believes that class sizes need to be kept small and teacher-student ratios low.

Teacher pay is another concern of Dart’s. The 3- to 5-percent pay raises teachers receive do not keep up with increases in the cost of living for Henrico County, Dart said. Virginia ranks 32nd in teacher pay in the U.S., according to Business Insider, despite being the ninth-wealthiest state, according to U.S. News.

Pay compression – the term for what happens when employees with differences in skills and experience make almost the same amount – does not help veteran teachers, Dart said. Between minimal pay increases, large classes and an increasing administrative burden, teaching is not very attractive and retention could be difficult, she said.

The salary for a Henrico County teacher for the 2018-2019 school year with between one and six years of experience and a master’s degree was $47,914.05. For a teacher with between seven and 13 years of experience and a master’s degree, the salary was $49,050.56.

Teacher salaries increase again at 14, 16, 17, 22, 23 24, 25, and 28 years of experience, and then every year until a teacher hits 42 years of experience, at which point the salary is $82,154.27 if he or she has a master’s degree.

One of Dart’s reasons for joining the race is the issue of funding. She wants to ensure that schools are able to provide STEAM (STEM + Arts) opportunities as well as vocational education classes, so that each student can be prepared, and to make sure the curriculum is well-planned to address those needs.