CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Former Albemarle School Board member Jim Dillenbeck made his first public comments since resigning last Wednesday, expressing disagreement with much of the statement the board released that same morning but choosing not to respond point by point.

Dillenbeck, who was in his first year as the Rio District’s representative, resigned at the request of his fellow board members following a controversial town hall meeting he held Sept. 30.

“I acknowledge that some of my words at the September 30 town hall caused concern,” Dillenbeck said in a statement he released Tuesday, “but my purpose was and remains the same: to listen to families and staff, protect student and staff safety, and help rebuild trust in the Board and the school division.”

During the town hall, Dillenbeck fielded questions from his constituents and spoke candidly about the division’s issues. However, he may have also breached labor laws and division personnel policies with some of what he shared.

“At a recent town hall, Mr. Dillenbeck revealed information entrusted to him in confidence,” the board’s statement said. “He directly contradicted the facts known to this board. He revealed sensitive personnel information that he knew to be confidential. And he publicly legitimized rumors and opinions by stating them as fact, which they were not. Mr. Dillenbeck disregarded accuracy and the privacy of staff, and made false statements about the school division, despite repeated requests that he share information honestly and accurately. In the wake of that town hall meeting, families and school communities suffered serious damage.”

The statement was signed by Chair Rebecca Berlin (White Hall District), Vice Chair Ellen Osborne (Scottsville District), Kate Acuff (Jack Jouett District), Bob Beard (Samuel Miller District) and Judy Lê (Rivanna District).

In his own statement, Dillenbeck said he disagreed with much of the board’s statement but chose not to go into specifics.

“Continuing that debate in public would require discussing personnel matters that should remain private,” he said, “and it would not serve the students, families, or staff of ACPS.”

Dillenbeck’s resignation came immediately after the death of Burley Middle School teacher Paul Regan, a death Charlottesville Police are investigating as a suicide, according to Chief of Police Michael Kochis.

Regan had worked at Henley Middle School before moving to Burley for this school year.

During his town hall meeting, Dillenbeck appeared to reference Regan’s move, casting it in a disparaging light.

“There’s a term that’s come up recently, ‘trash transfer.’ It’s something along the lines of, somebody does something inappropriate at one school, we transfer him to another school,” Dillenbeck said. “I can tell you there’s a staff member at Burley (Middle School) right now who demonstrated some inappropriate behavior with the staff at Henley (Middle School) last year. He’s now at Burley.”

Dillenbeck began his statement by saying, “My deepest sympathy goes to the family, friends, colleagues, and students of Paul Regan.”

Dillenbeck also addressed what he called “a staffing challenge that is affecting instruction and school operations.” During the town hall, Dillenbeck shared that, to his knowledge, 15 ACPS employees had been put on leave in the previous 30 days, and that in response, he had called for a special session of the board to address the high number of leaves.

“The Board’s role is governance and oversight; day-to-day operations belong to the Superintendent and central office,” he said in his statement. “But when persistent operational problems affect students, families, and staff, Board members have a responsibility to ask hard questions, seek accountability, and make sure concerns are not dismissed.”

He also said he held the town hall to give Rio District families a chance to share their concerns directly with him, and that many parents and staff thanked him for the opportunity.

Despite the controversy surrounding Dillenbeck’s town hall, the school board maintained its commitment to holding addiitonal town halls in the future during its meeting Thursday, at the request of ACPS Family Council. Berlin said to expect those to occur toward the end of October into early November.

Dillenbeck ended his statement by expressing his hope that the board and ACPS administration “will move forward with greater transparency, better communication, and a renewed focus on restoring trust.”

“As a private citizen, I remain committed to advocating for students, families, and staff so that every school is safe, well supported, and able to educate all students effectively,” he said.