Allison Spillman, a candidate for the At-Large School Board position, wants to foster a safer community in schools for teachers and students of all backgrounds and identities.
Spillman has a business background and is a parent of five children in ACPS. “I’m excited to get in and get my hands dirty and figure out how the system’s working, where the inefficiencies are. There is improvement to be made, for sure.”
She thinks ACPS could better handle issues of racial inequities. “They are making really good strides, but the Bellwether report showed us that there’s still systemic racism in our school system.”
The best solution is getting more funding, she said. Spillman promises to advocate for increased funding from state legislators and reallocate funds to closing learning gaps. She would put more money into hiring reading interventionists, universal pre-K, tutoring and working with local organizations like 100 Black Men and the Equity Center.
“I’m really passionate about making sure that all kids, regardless of their past or their path, can be successful in our school system,” Spillman said.
With increased funding, Spillman also aims to raise teacher pay, increase classroom resources, improve professional development and address overcrowding issues.
ACPS schools, particularly Albemarle High School, have long faced overcrowding. Spillman says long-term solutions are needed, as current solutions like Center One and Two or the pods are only short-term fixes.
“It’s an infrastructure issue,” she said. “I’m happy that we have a plan to build three new schools, but I think that more could have been done ahead of time.”
Spillman says ACPS needs more resources to build new schools or add onto existing ones “so students have the best chance of success.”
In past years, grades and academic policies have worsened due to distance learning. “The policies that were put in place were necessary during COVID,” Spillman said, “but we’ve got to get back to stricter grading policies with the idea that kids are struggling with their mental health.”
This means kids can advocate for themselves, and teachers and administration will give them grace while simultaneously keeping them academically accountable.
Falling grades are not just due to grading policies, though. The current reading curriculum, which is not state-approved, is leading to lower reading scores across the board.
Spillman hopes the School Board uses the Science of Reading, a phonics-based curriculum that is proven to be a solid literacy building path.
Additionally, recent de-leveling of classes in the elementary and middle schools has led to discord in the community. “I can understand the frustration and the concern,” Spillman said. “We need to pay more attention to our academically gifted kids.”
To do so, she proposes ACPS join the Blue Ridge Governor’s School and strengthen IB programs like the Community Lab School, for which acceptance is determined by lottery.
“I don’t think we can have a blanket policy across the board and expect that it’s going to meet the needs of every student,” she said. “We need to be teaching to the students individually.”
Another concern is listening to teachers and community members more. “There’s a fear that teachers have right now that they can’t teach honestly and authentically,” Spillman said.
Her solution is two-fold: create a representative channel between the School Board and the community and implement collective bargaining.
This representative channel, called an ombudsman, is a neutral party that addresses community concerns by bringing actionable steps from the School Board. “This would go a long way in restoring trust between the School Board, central office, administrators, teachers, students and parents,” Spillman said.
Endorsed by the Albemarle Education Association, Spillman is a “huge proponent” of collective bargaining. She believes it will repair relations with teachers, allowing ACPS to hire and retain more high-quality teachers — also allowing for smaller class sizes. “It is imperative that our teachers, staff, bus drivers, custodians and everybody have a seat at the table,” Spillman said.
As for safety, Spillman’s focus is on guns and mental health. She is part of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and wants to promote safe gun storage through the Be SMART program.
Spillman believes addressing increasing violence and disruptions in school by increasing mental health resources is “key to long-term solutions.” She proposes hiring more social workers and psychologists to act as mediators for crisis intervention.
“Students can’t learn and teachers can’t teach if they’re not well,” Spillman said. “ We all went through this collective trauma with COVID.”
In recent years, neighboring Virginia school districts have increasingly faced book bans. Spillman says she vehemently opposes it and trusts librarians and teachers to provide age-appropriate materials.
She believes ACPS’s book policies should reflect its anti-racism and transgender policies by having diverse literature options. “It is important that we see ourselves reflected in the books that we’re reading,” Spillman said. “To de-list, censor or ban materials is not the way. It is a threat to our students and their freedom to learn.”
Spillman thinks curriculums also need to represent students of all sexual or gender identities, races and socioeconomic backgrounds. “We have this beautifully diverse and amazing community that deserves to be celebrated and seen in our curriculum,” Spillman said. “Not doing that is a disservice to our teachers and to our students.”
This also means addressing sensitive issues like racial struggles. “It’s really important that we don’t shy away from our history,” Spillman said. “We owe it to our kids to teach them an honest history.”
Spillman wants high schoolers to know their voices matter as “stakeholders” in the community. “We need to listen more to the students and have your input on these policies because they affect you the most,” she said.
“I have become aware, because of my own kids and their struggles, that not every kid is on the same path. We need to celebrate each kid’s passions and talents and help them find their path, regardless of where they’re going.”
Spillman believes having kids in ACPS schools and her dedication to transgender and anti-racist policies set her apart from her opponent, Meg Bryce.
“It comes down to what the motives are,” Spillman said. “I truly care about all kids — all kids being able to be safe and thrive in our public schools.”
The School Board election coincides with the Virginia state legislative election on Nov. 7, 2023.
