Meg Bryce is all about making changes — from leadership in the School Board to reallocating funds.
One of Bryce’s main concerns is the lack of consideration given to community voices in the School Board’s decisions. “People are scared to voice their disagreement, and it’s a poor reflection of a system if people are scared to speak up,” she said.
Among these people are teachers and staff in the county, who Bryce says feel disrespected and frustrated by leadership. In particular, she proposes improving professional development for teachers and implementing 12-month pay for bus drivers.
“Teachers are in it for the right reasons,” Bryce said. “They love students and want to teach well, so we need to give them the resources to do that.”
Bryce is in support of teachers’ raises but opposes using collective bargaining to achieve them. She feels it is not “the best path forward” to resolve teachers’ concerns.
Rather, she would make cuts in the budget to allow for salary raises. “Currently on the Board, they’re not willing to cut anything in the budget to redirect towards teachers,” Bryce said. “But if we make those hard decisions, we could really benefit teachers.”
Teachers aren’t the only ones upset, she says. Families, too, feel unheard, causing them to pull their kids from ACPS. Bryce pulled her own four children out of Albemarle schools during the ‘20-’21 school year and placed them in private school. “There’s been a real loss of trust that this administration is willing to listen to everyone,” she said.
Despite population growth, enrollment is down by 126 students this year as 1,074 left ACPS from 2022–2023, according to the School Board during its Oct. 5 meeting.
“Unless there’s some change in leadership, I think a lot of people will still be uncomfortable sending their kids back to ACPS,” Bryce said, “and that’s a shame.”
If elected, Bryce will not send her children back to ACPS under current leadership.
“I would be one voice out of seven, so realistically, I’m not going to be able to reverse a lot of policies I’d like to. But I’d like for my trust to be restored in Albemarle County Public Schools. I don’t know that that is possible under the current leadership,” she said.
After a summer petition opposing the renewal of Superintendent Matthew Haas’ contract gained 1,644 signatures, the Board voted unanimously to renew his contract for two more years at the Oct. 12 meeting. Bryce finds it “unacceptable” that the School Board did not fulfill one of its “primary responsibilities” of holding the Superintendent accountable.
“This is an incredibly unpopular decision, and the fact that it was unanimous shows a complete disregard for the community,” she said.
As a college professor, the School Board at-large candidate most wants to focus on improving academic rigor for all students. “Education is what gives people opportunities, but it’s got to be a good education,” Bryce said. “Right now, we are not delivering a good education and the groups that are suffering the most are our minority groups.”
Bryce aims to focus equity initiatives at the elementary school level to prevent learning gaps later in high school. “Or else, a lot of those kids are never going to be caught up,” she said, “and that’s heartbreaking.”
Specifically, she wants to implement more reading and math interventionists. To achieve this, Bryce believes the School Board needs to reallocate its budget. “There’s some low hanging fruit in terms of where money could be better spent,” she said.
She thinks funds for Central Office and the Community Engagement Office should be redirected to hiring more interventionists to support teachers in de-leveled classes. “Having such a large Central Office when we don’t have people who are actually working with students is egregious,” Bryce said.
As for overcrowding, Bryce wants to watch spending, mindful of “the reality that we will need to build more schools.” She says that while the construction of Center Two will relieve some pressure from Albemarle High School, the current trend of population growth indicates new schools are needed.
Along with de-leveling, Bryce believes the limit on AP classes and relaxed grading policies are contributing to falling academic performance in the county. She would like to reverse the current policies but says she is open to compromises. This includes making the 50 percent grading policy only apply to submitted assignments.
Bryce also thinks ACPS “absolutely needs” a new reading curriculum. “They should have known in 2019 that this [Being a Reader] wasn’t a strong program,” she said. “The Science of Reading isn’t brand, spanking new.”
She favors the Science of Reading to replace the current curriculum, as it is proven to successfully teach literacy based on phonics. Bryce hopes math will be the “next frontier” of similar curriculum development.
Additionally the recent push for anti-racist and LGBTQ+ content in curriculums causes discomfort from some parents and teachers about “encouraging students to categorize one another based on race or gender identity,” Bryce said.
Bryce believes in teaching history honestly, including the “sins and evils” of history, and thinks ACPS is doing so. “It’s important to discuss controversial things respectfully and have tough conversations,” she said.
Recently, nearby Virginia districts have increasingly faced book bans. Bryce says she does not advocate for book banning, especially when books cover important topics like race. “Students should be reading things that are tackling tough issues,” she said.
However, Bryce does agree with Governor Glenn Youngkin’s updated transgender policy, according to Charlottesville Tomorrow. The policy requires parental consent for teachers to use students’ names or pronouns that are not on official records. ACPS has officially rejected the policy.
Bryce thinks her strong focus on academics sets her apart from both her opponent, Allison Spillman, and the School Board. “I really care about public education, and I worry that we are failing our students in this county,” she said.
She hopes teenagers know she is eager to help them achieve their goals. “I think they are capable of extraordinary things,” Bryce said.
“This isn’t an easy time to be a teenager — I’m very glad I grew up when I did, and not now,” she said. “That said, there is a community here to support you, and we will work together for you.”
The School Board election coincides with the Virginia state legislative election on Nov. 7, 2023.
