CHARLOTTESVILLE (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — The four candidates for school board in Charlottesville answered questions and gave their pitches to the community at a public forum at the Jefferson School on Tuesday.

The event was put together by the Cville Dems, but was a nonpartisan event, as the organization has not endorsed any of the four candidates. 

Co-chairs Nancy Damon and Josh Thorneburg were on hand to run the evening, with Thorneburg moderating the discussion. He told Cville Right Now afterward that he felt like in local races, “where things really, really impact us,” voters often don’t have access to information about the candidates.

“What we wanted was, if you’re a community member who wants to go into the voting booth on Election Day or before and really feel like you got answers from the candidates and you’re not searching up a website on Google last minutes trying to find an answer, that at least those people had an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates,” Thorneburg said.

All four candidates were on hand for at least part of the forum. Incumbents Emily Dooley and Lisa Larson-Torres and local activist Zyahna Bryant were there from the beginning, and answered three prepared questions and five submitted from the audience. 

Cville Dems Vice-chair and school board candidate Rashad Cooper arrived late during the third question. Thorneburg announced he would be late at the beginning of the forum and told Cville Right Now afterward that he had a “work emergency.” Upon his arrival, Cooper apologized for his tardiness and was able to answer the final prepared question and then the ensuing five.

The four candidates, all vying for three open seats, answered questions on the city’s strategic plan, its relationship with UVA, equity, early education and staff turnover among other topics. Among the four candidates there was plenty of agreement, with some variations in how best to approach the challenges facing CCS.

Larson-Torres and Dooley both stressed their experience on the Board, while Bryant and Cooper shared their experience as graduates of Charlottesville High School. 

Bryant, who graduated from CHS in 2019, said she believed it was important for the board to be innovative, and she thought “it’s time for a younger voice to be included in that.” She advocated strongly for increased partnerships between CCS and local organizations on a variety of issues, some of whom she is already involved in. These included among others Lugo-McGinness Academy, CCS’ alternative education school where she’s volunteered, and City of Promise, a mentoring program that she went through and her mother works for.

“ I think it’s important for us to lean into partners like those to be able to better support that work,” she said of organizations like City of Promise during a question on CCS’ relationship with UVA.

Cooper, who graduated from CHS in 2013, shared how he grew up with challenges and often needed guidance from those around him. He said his lived experience paired with his experience working in social services has “put me in this moment to be ready for this.” He emphasized how he was prepared to support not just students but their families, as he believed students’ learning is often impacted by their situations at home.

“It starts at home, and it’s gonna end at school,” he said when asked about the issue of absenteeism.

Larson-Torres focused on her record on the board, stating that she believes she is “more sure than ever” of her value and needs to be on the board. She also put plenty of emphasis on early literacy education, particularly for children under five, as she said it provides the foundation for students moving forward. She said this area is where her passion is right now.

“Early childhood is the foundation,” she said, “and we need to do it.”

Dooley also focused on her record, sharing that while serving on the board amidst major policy changes on the state and federal level has been challenging, she still finds hope and optimism in the public school system. She believes as a board, they have continued to put “kids first,” expanding learning opportunities, strengthening academic and mental health resources and expanding some school spaces and facilities.

“I’m running for reelection because I’m proud of what we’ve done, but know the work continues,” she said.

After the event, Damon said she was impressed by the candidates, praising them for putting on an event that was “informative” rather than combative.

“We think it’s really important to let people be thinking about who do they want and what are they looking for,” she said.