VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new face will represent Virginia Beach City Public School students this January.
The school board is going to be all-female. Jennifer Franklin is taking over the Kempsville District seat, according to unofficial results.
Longtime Board Member Dan Edwards has held the spot for more than two decades.
“It’s still so surreal right now,” said Franklin. “I love that I can be a champion for the community and for Virginia Beach students and teachers.”
Unofficial results, updated on Friday, show Franklin won the Kempsville District seat with 100,491 votes. Her opponent, incumbent Dan Edwards, wasn’t far behind with 84,904 votes. Four other incumbent board members will reclaim their spots.
“I have literally been in the schools since my daughter was a kindergartner,” Franklin said.
Franklin, a mortgage banker, served on her kid’s PTSAs for more than 20 years. She hopes to tackle getting students in school safely, restoring valedictorian and salutatorian, and expanding workforce programs.
"Better workforce opportunities, I truly believe not every child is destined to go to college,” Franklin said.
After 22 and a half years, Edwards said he is ready to pass the baton.
“I am not going to get bored in the least,” Edwards said.
An officer on 12 other boards like the Virginia Beach Rotary Club and Virginia Beach crime solvers, just to name a few, Edwards isn’t sweating the loss.
“I’m happy for Jennifer Franklin to be stepping in,” Edwards said.
The 73-year-old served 18 influential years as board chair.
“The satisfaction of seeing our school division go from, when I came on the board, to one of our schools accredited, to all of our schools accredited,” Edwards said.
His exit creates an all-female board.
“I’ve never met anybody so engaged and involved in their community,” said Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence.
Spence said Edwards is one-of-a-kind.
“He really looks at all sides of the issue, just a terrific board member,” Dr. Spence said. “I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to work with him. I’ll be sad to see him go.”
Franklin plans to tap into Edwards’ wisdom.
“Figure out what projects he was hoping to achieve in Kempsville and continue the legacy he has already built,” Franklin said.
And she wants to help unify the board.
“I’m hopeful that we can actually bring some resolution back there and have it be a lot more of working together instead of working apart,” Franklin said.
Franklin takes over on January 1, 2021.