CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Ellen Osborne, the Albemarle County School Board’s Vice Chair and Scottsville representative, has submitted her resignation, effective Dec. 1.

The board’s Chair, Rebecca Berlin, announced Osborne’s resignation in a newsletter to families on Friday.

“A family situation requires more of my time and attention right now than I can devote while continuing to fulfill my responsibilities on the School Board,” Osborne said in a statement included in the newsletter. “The community deserves a board member who can give this their full attention. Serving the Scottsville District for nearly seven years has been a privilege. Thank you to my colleagues, to our staff, and to the families for the opportunity.”

Osborne is now the third School Board member to resign in the past four months. Allison Spillman, the board’s previous Vice Chair and at-large member, resigned on Aug. 13, citing personal reasons. Her seat was filled by David Storm, who was sworn in at the Board’s Oct. 8 meeting.

The day before Storm was sworn in, the board’s Rio representative, Jim Dillenbeck, resigned at the behest of his fellow board member following comments he made during a controversial town hall he held on Sept. 30. The board appointed former Rio representative Leslie Prior to fill the district’s seat during its meeting Thursday.

The recent turnover on the board has come amid a series of crises following the June arrest of former Hollymead Elementary staffer Michael Swiney on felony charges of sex crimes against students.

The week after his arrest, the School Board asked Superintendent Dr. Matthew Haas to resign. More recently, the same day Dillenbeck resigned, Albemarle County Public Schools’ Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer Brodie Downs and Assistant School Division Counsel & Title IX Coordinator Erin Stone, as well as former Hollymead Elementary School Principal Joe McCauley, were all arrested and charged with three counts of failure to report child abuse.

A petition is also circulating to remove the School Board’s Jack Jouett representative, Dr. Kate Acuff. The petition organizer, Albemarle Republican Committee Chairman Phil Riese, told Cville Right Now on Friday the petition has over 500 signatures, more than the 476 required to petition a circuit court to remove Acuff – the board’s longest-tenured member – from her position under Virginia Code.

Riese said the group is aiming to get 550 total signatures before submitting the petition.

For now, the board will look to fill the newly vacant Scottsville seat. Berlin said in Friday’s newsletter that the School Board “will meet to discuss how the Scottsville seat will be filled and inform the public once a decision is made.” The Scottsville seat will be up for election in Nov. 2027.

“Ellen has served the students, families, and staff of the Albemarle County Public School division for nearly seven years,” Berlin said in the newsletter. “Her leadership, insight, and dedication to public education will be sorely missed.”