You can find more about the Radford School Board candidates, or any of the other candidates who will be on Radford’s ballot, in our Voter Guide.
Once the new board members of the Radford City Schools are seated following the upcoming election, there will be a completely new slate of members compared to the group that held the seats prior to 2022.
There has been significant change in both the front office and at some of the schools in the 2,700-student district. According to school board minutes, more than 20 teachers and administrative personnel have departed from the school district since December 2023, and the central office has new leadership as well.
The good news, according to some candidates, is that new superintendent Adam Joyce appears to have enjoyed a good working relationship with the board that hired him, and he also had a chance to share news earlier this year that every member in the community was pleased to hear: Test scores are again on the rise, and all four of the district schools received accreditation.
All five candidates to fill the two seats being vacated by board chair Jenny Riffe and vice chair Jody Ray will be joining a board that has not cast a “no” vote for any motion made since Joyce’s installation.
That doesn’t mean the district won’t face possible obstacles ahead.
While the school district’s 2024-25 budget has increased in recent years, and the teachers’ pay scale has also increased, financial issues within the city mean additional money to put toward capital improvements and emergency funds is scarce. There are also some concerns about the relationship between the board and the community as well as whether the district should continue its longtime membership with the Virginia School Boards Association.
All five candidates have history with the district. Four of the five graduated from Radford High School, while the fifth, Kelsey Marletta, has been a Radford resident since 2016 and spent time as an employee of the district. All have children that have either attended or graduated from Radford schools.
Two of the five candidates, Marletta and Amanda Winter, have been endorsed by the city’s Democratic Party, while Brian Dobbins and Ben Buzzard have received endorsements from the Republicans.
Rebecca Dunn is running as an independent.
“The candidates are all different,” Dobbins said. “We all have lived different kinds of lives, but for the most part, whoever does win I think they’re all on the same scale as far as wanting to do what’s right and keep working upward.”
All five candidates were also asked to respond about some school boards around the state that have opted to withdraw their membership from the Virginia School Boards Association due to concerns about its political philosophy. Those other districts have instead joined the upstart School Board Member Alliance of Virginia, which bills itself as a conservative alternative.
None of the candidates said they currently do not plan on advocating for a change, although several, including Dobbins, Buzzard and Dunn said they would want to make sure the VSBA is serving the needs of the Radford schools, while Marletta and Winter believe that some of the established services provided by the organization, such as legal services, is something that could become very expensive were they to withdraw. None said they considered it a major issue facing the district.
Following are what the candidates have to say about their primary reasons for running and what issues are they will be focusing on if elected:
Ben Buzzard
Buzzard is a Radford High and Radford University graduate and has children in the district. He says strong communication between the board and parents, as well as consistency in school policy, is something he will keep an eye on if elected. But he added that he wants to take some time to see how things run right now before being assertive about changes that might need to be made.
“When they’re looking for consistency and we’ve jumped nine schools in the (quality) rankings, the last thing they need is someone who is going to come in, insert their opinions and change everything at once,” Buzzard said. “I want to he humble, sit back and try to give advice when I can.
“But it seems like the new superintendent has a plan and direction he wants to take everybody, and the staff seems to be happy with him.”
Buzzard has spent time working at juvenile detention centers and also as a campus security officer. He said working in juvenile detention expanded his views about how important it is for children to have an opportunity to grow up in safe, disciplined environments. His understanding on issues such as what leads to bullying and the effects of social media have evolved as well. That’s why communication is so important, he said.
“When there’s a breakdown between the school board and the parents, it affects safety, it affects communication,” he said. “I’m going to be open to parents. They have a right to play a role in the education of their kids.”
Brian Dobbins
A lifelong Radford resident, Dobbins said he, along with his wife and two daughters, are all RHS graduates or future grads, and he said the education he received gave him a foundation that sustained him throughout his life. He is encouraged by the rise in test scores and hopes to see that trend continue.
He believes that funding will be a challenge for a while, but if money is spent where it should be going, the district can maintain its good reputation.
“Anywhere in the valley you always heard ‘my kid needs to go to Radford because they’re the upper echelon of the schools,'” he said. “And that’s always how it was. If you had a diploma from Radford High School, it was like there was a stamp on it saying that you got a quality education.”
He said to maintain high standards, the district needs teachers who want to work in Radford and get the support they need to stay efficient. He added that he has heard from many voters about their concerns for school safety and would advocate having more resource officers at each of the schools when it becomes an option that’s affordable for the district.
“That’s where it all starts. The teachers are the foundation, and the board is just a tool for the teachers and administration,” Dobbins said. “They come along and when they have questions or need things, it’s our job to make sure they have the tools also to succeed.
“So far, the current board is doing a fairly good job at that.”
Rebecca Dunn
Dunn, a Radford High graduate and certified social worker, said her background and her knowledge of the community makes her a strong candidate.
“With my experience and love for the City of Radford, this is something very important to me,” she said. “I have the expertise to work with the leadership team and the rest of the board. I will utilize the skills I have developed over the years to work with the schools and do this on behalf of the community.”
Dunn said she has been impressed with the actions of the administration since Joyce’s appointment and wants to be an advocate for the goals he sets with the board.
She also believes that board candidates should keep their independent status and be wary of taking on party affiliations.
“I’m not going into this election with any agenda other than for the continued success of our school district,” she said. “… I believe it’s important to remain independent and not feel tied to any group’s agenda.”
Kelsey Marletta
Marletta said while there will always be some teacher turnover in any school district, what the Radford has experienced in the past two years was too much in her opinion. She said she will encourage the district to be proactive when it comes to teacher retention and wants that focus to be on the newer teachers. She would like to see a mentor program between district veterans and the newcomers. She also wants to look for outside sources of money that might be available to help with needed updates at John Dalton Intermediate and Radford High.
“We still have enough of our [veteran] staff — especially the core individuals at each school who have been there for years,” she said. “From what I’ve heard, the new teachers are doing a fantastic job. … I think the majority are in their first or second year, however. That’s why I proposed a mentor program. I know we have a lot of veteran teachers who are committed to staying with the district. I think the younger teachers would benefit from speaking to the older ones regularly.”
Marletta, who is now an adjunct professor at Radford University, is also a former Radford City Schools employee, where she worked as a special education paraprofessional. She believes the time she spent working for the schools, as well as some other experiences she’s had working in the private sector, makes her a good candidate for the board.
“I would like to help the district be able to thrive and I think given the past couple of years, we definitely need a fresh perspective,” she said. “Somebody with new ideas, but also working well with others is really important to get the board unified. That seems to have gone over well with individuals I speak to when I go door to door.”
Amanda Winter
Winter, who spent 10 years working with the Montgomery County school district, said that gives her unique experience in knowing how a board member should function and interact with both the administration and the public.
The Radford High graduate has also spent time as a substitute teacher, which she believes adds to her experience. “Radford is very near and dear to my heart,” she said. “I very much care about it. I talk about that [to voters].”
She added that life experiences have also taught her how to make the most out of any situation, which she believes will be useful as the district tries to maintain its education standards on what sometimes is a limited budget.
“More than anything, I’m a very resourceful person and I know how to make a lot out of a little,” Winter said. “With Radford city’s financial restraints, we are not getting as much funding as some places. And I think I could use those skills I have because I know how to make a lot out of little — and Radford is really good at that already. … And more than anything, I just want to make sure we keep the children our main focus.”