HAMPTON, Va. — There are five candidates all vying for four available seats on the Hampton School Board in the 2024 election.
Four of those five candidates are incumbents and are working together as a team to get re-elected: Tina Banks-Gray, Reginald Woodhouse, Stephanie Jackson Afonja, and Ann Stephens Cherry.
There is only one new face also looking for a spot on the school board: 24-year-old Natalie Kidd, who is also the race's youngest candidate.
13News Now reached out to all five candidates to learn more about their priorities:
Tina Banks-Gray
Tina Banks-Gray was first elected to the Hampton School Board in 2020. Banks-Gray was born in Japan but quickly moved to Hampton where she then started a professional career. She is currently the Neighborhood Centers manager for the City of Hampton.
If elected, Banks-Gray said her first priorities for the school board included adding more resources and support for Hampton Public School teachers.
"I want to see if we can get more compensation for our teachers; they are the backbone of our district, the accreditation, all of the SOLS they come from our teachers so my heart will always be with them," said Banks-Gray. "We need to do more to attract more teachers to come here, and retain the teachers we have."
Reginald Woodhouse
Reginald Woodhouse was first elected to Hampton School Board in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Woodhouse is originally from Chesapeake but moved to Hampton where he spent some time as an educator. He is currently a pastor for First Baptist Church.
If elected, Woodhouse said his first priorities for the school board included expanding on the number of academies found within the city's limits.
"I want to maintain that direction we are going in, that forward progress that we have right now," said Woodhouse. "The academies of Hampton are working quite well for our students, and so I want to see more academies formed in the Hampton Roads school system."
Stephanie Jackson Afonja
Stephanie Jackson Afonja was first elected to the Hampton School Board in 2020. Afonja was born and raised in Hampton, where she started a career in helping teens with mental health. She is currently the owner of Family Restoration Services, and Holistic Family Solutions for more than 15 years.
If elected, Afonja said her first priorities for the school board included more resources available to help students struggling with mental health and disabilities.
"That's one of the things that is nearest and dearest to me, is supporting our children," said Afonja. "The children who receive special support, or extra attention, we want to make sure that when they leave us, they can successfully transition and continue to thrive in our communities as adults."
Ann Stephens Cherry
Ann Stephens Cherry was first elected to Hampton School Board in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. Cherry was born and raised in the City of Hampton, where she started a career with Hampton City Schools. She retired from her position as the executive director of public relations and marketing for Hampton City Schools.
If elected, Cherry said her first priorities for the school board included lowering the drop-out rate for students.
"I ran in 2016 only because our schools at that time were 47% accredited, and not one high school was accredited," said Cherry. "We ran, we won, we got some other people on board to make as a team and now we are 100% accredited for three years in a row, and I want to continue to build on what we've done."
Natalie Kidd
Natalie Kidd is the only challenger in this race. At 24 years old, she is the youngest candidate on the ballot and graduated from Kecoughtan High School, and afterward, she took a position with the Virginia Living Museum. She once served as a Student Representative to the Hampton School Board and is now looking for a seat.
If elected, Kidd said she would add a voice for student priorities such as the realities of online learning and social media.
"I'm the only candidate who has taken SOL's, I'm the only candidate that has learned on Chromebooks which are distributed through all of our K-12 education, and I'm also the only candidate who has faced the effects of social media from a young age," said Kidd. "It's really important we hear more from younger voices about our future."