Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – As the special election for the Rio District School Board approaches on November 5th, education and student performance have emerged as key issues in Albemarle County. Jim Dillenbeck, a candidate for the school board, highlighted alarming statistics during an interview archived at civilrightnow.com.  

“There are four elementary schools that serve the kids in the Rio district, and on average, less than half of those students in those schools are passing the reading and math SOLs,” said Dillenbeck. He further noted that Albemarle High School saw concerning results, with 33% of students of color failing their reading and math SOLs, and 64% failing the science exams. “These trends continue, and I’m not blaming teachers… the hope was that we would start to turn the ship and see scores improve and that did not happen.”  

Dillenbeck emphasized the complex challenges facing schools, pointing to social and emotional struggles students bring from home. “If there is poverty, if there is dysfunction, if there is abuse…we’re going to have to deal with that,” he explained, stressing the importance of parental involvement in student success. With rising concerns, the election will determine who steers the district forward in addressing these critical issues. 

Listen to the full interview here: