CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – As the Albemarle County School Board began the process of filling its open at-large seat, Chair and White Hall representative Dr. Rebecca Berlin said many people reached out, asking for transparency in the process.

“We had lots of people emailing the board, just wanting to make sure that this was a very transparent process,” Berlin told Cville Right Now after Thursday night’s public forum. “And so that was, that’s something we took very seriously.”

The selection process started after Allison Spillman stepped down from the seat last month, a change that came in the midst of an increased level of scrutiny on the board and division. The arrest of former Hollymead Elementary School staffer Michael Swiney last June led to the resignation of superintendent Dr. Matthew Haas a week later.

In its process to fill Spillman’s seat, the board held a public hearing on the remaining 13 candidates Thursday. Berlin, who spoke to Cville Right Now afterward, said she worked with the board’s clerk, Christine Thompson, ahead of this selection to craft a process with transparency in mind.

The applications of all of the original 23 applicants for the post were published online. During last week’s public interviews, each candidate had 12 minutes to make a public statement and answer three questions. Those queries were provided ahead of time and, Berlin said, reflected both what the board wanted to learn and what the public wanted to hear from the candidates.

“We wanted to ask about budget experience,” Berlin said. “We wanted to ask about, how would they deal with difficult decisions and how would they deal with having to think about, how do you make decisions for a whole school district when you have different contingencies asking for different things?”

Throughout the process, Berlin said she has been struck by the “thoughtfulness” of the candidates’ presentations.

In all, nine people spoke at Thursday’s public comment meeting, with Berlin highlighting how many spoke on the topic of transparency from the board.

Among the speakers were two former candidates for the open seat who each withdrew their names. Both suggested to the board they choose a newcomer for the open seat, as opposed to either of the two former board members in the running – Leslie Pryor, who served last year, and Steve Koleszar, who served from 1996-2019.

“While there are former board members in the applicant pool, who are to be commended for their dedication to our community, they also carry a history of past party endorsements,” Kurt Burkhart said. “Because of that, the risk of turning this interim appointment into a political proxy battle remains incredibly high.”

Joellen Pisarczyk, another withdrawn candidate, also encouraged the board to pick an “outsider.”

“Forge ahead with an outsider with all the skills to steer you through ongoing legal issues and the superintendent search, get (their) arms around the complex budgetary responsibilities, fix the culture, and turn things around,” she said.

Only one active candidate chose to speak during Thursday’s meeting. Jimmy Belew used his time to advocate for three other candidates — Heidi Gilman Bennett, Daisy Rojas and Wilson T. Woodrow — as he said, “We all know I won’t be the chosen one, of course,” citing his previous criticisms of the board.

Many others voiced their support toward a number of candidates, with Bennett in particular receiving a sizable amount of support. Four of the nine speakers recommended her, including a few who worked with her directly in the past.

Bennett served on Family Council as an officer from 2022-26, including as its Chair from 2023-25. The council’s current Chair, Emily Mathon, spoke of her time working with Bennett, and also read a statement from the council’s Vice President, Christina Ra.

“I trust Heidi Gilman Bennett with the massive responsibility that the at-large school board position involves,” Mathon said during her own remarks. “She brings her brilliant mind to solve problems. She takes responsibility for the heavy lifting on projects without recognition or thanks. She leads the way when the path is unclear or has obstacles. She communicates clearly in agreement or disagreement, and she’s connected with families and school leadership throughout the county.”

Mike McDermott and David Gilbert Tatman were also recommended by name by speakers during the hearing.

The board will make its decision next Thursday, during a work session that will begin at 5 p.m. with a closed session. The new member will then be sworn in at the board’s Oct. 8 meeting.

The new member will need to tackle a number of challenges before the seat will be up for election in November 2027. Most notably, the board will be selecting a new superintendent. The board selected a firm for the impending search during a closed session at the end of Thursday’s hearing, but did not name the firm they selected.

For now, Berlin recognizes the difficult path ahead for the board as it looks to regain the public’s trust while also ensuring that partisanship stays out of the process.

“We know that the public is concerned about, ‘Can the board say they’re sorry?'” she said. “It’s important to say you’re sorry. Can we continue to grow and regain trust with the board? Are we open to communication from everyone? Because I think the other thing we is like, ‘This isn’t partisan,’ right? This is about kids and teachers and leaders in schools, and we need to make sure that we support all of them.”