Virginia ends oversight of Danville schools after years under MOU

DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) - A cloud has been lifted for schools in Danville and Prince Edward County.

During the 2019-20 academic year, the state did a checkup on Danville Public Schools and found the division was not meeting the “Standards of Quality” required by law. Because of low test scores and management issues, the state created an action plan and began monitoring operations under a memorandum of understanding.

Now, the Virginia Board of Education says the fixes are working, and the district will no longer be monitored.

“That good feeling of being able to walk along this path on our own will motivate us even more to keep doing the good work that we need to do for children,” Superintendent Dr. Angela Hairston said.

Eight of the district’s 10 schools are listed as “on track” or “distinguished” under Virginia’s accountability system. Hairston said the memorandum helped identify and address issues such as absenteeism and student behavior.

“We don’t want children at home; we want them at school,” Hairston said. “We improved our chronic absenteeism, or attendance at school, significantly, and that has a tremendous impact on learning and what’s happening in the classroom. You cannot teach an empty seat.”

For the district’s chief academic officer, Dr. Takiwi Milton-Babalola, the MOU meant greater organization in both the overall curriculum and classroom instruction.

“They didn’t know that it was disorganized, because that’s what they were used to doing,” Milton-Babalola said. “So when I first came here, I tried to get a group of teachers together to do the curriculum. Guess how many teachers said, ‘Yes, I want to do this?’ None.”

But ultimately, student success in the classroom remained at the forefront of the oversight. Math coordinator Jack Faughn said the exit shows the district is moving forward in the right direction.

“When I started off as a teacher, it did seem like the wheels were turning, but they weren’t all necessarily going in the same direction,” Faughn said. “And it seemed like a confirmation that, ‘Okay, we’re all pointed now in the same direction. We’re spinning at the same rate, and we’re moving forward and we’re gaining ground.’”

Danville officials said they hope to continue making progress through outside partnerships and renewed community engagement.