VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach's school board has voted to keep its interim superintendent in his position permanently.
Dr. Donald Robertson was named superintendent during the school board's meeting on Tuesday, by an 8-3 vote.
Robertson had been in the position of acting superintendent, following the departure of Dr. Aaron Spence in June of last year.
"I am humbled by the confidence you have placed in me to lead Virginia Beach City Public Schools to continued success,” Robertson said in a news release. “I pledge to lead with the highest integrity; I pledge my commitment to our staff, students, community and this board; and I pledge to live and lead by the core values of our great school division.”
In an interview with Robertson Wednesday afternoon, he said is he honored to take on the role.
"To be sitting in that seat right now, it’s kind of surreal," he said.
VBCPS said Dr. Robertson began his teaching career in the school division in 1988 and over the years has taken numerous leadership positions, including principal of Salem High School and chief schools officer before his most recent position as chief of staff.
Now he says he's ready to lead the division he's called home for so many years.
"What got me the job is I’ve provided steadfast leadership to the division," said Robertson.
School Board member Trenace Riggs said despite all of the great candidates they looked at, she's happy they ultimately landed on Robertson.
"His dedication is unmatched," she said. "Always looking for positive change and innovation for our school system."
She calls him a "strong" leader.
"Because he has been here with us and he knows the system, there won't have to be a year or nine months worth of learning it," Riggs said. "He's a strong leader. He's not a weak leader, or a 'tell me what to do and I'll do it' leader."
The school board said it conducted a nationwide search with the help of a consulting firm, before selecting Robertson as its top choice for superintendent, which will be effective February 1.
"It was just the recognition that he has such an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the entirety of the system and since we've got some challenging issues that confront us as the year unfolds, my thought was let's stay with one who is already familiar with all of the surroundings and be able to navigate the headwinds that we might be running into," said School Board member Michael Callan.
"I think that our board did some of its best and most collaborative work during this process and ultimately we felt that Don Robertson was the best choice. His passion for this division, the accomplishments that he brought during his many different positions held, and his determination to forge a path to making this division the top in the State and the Country were 3 of the primary reasons for my support," said Board Member Jennifer Franklin in a statement.
Virginia Beach Education Association President Kathleen Slinde said she looks forward to a continued open dialogue with Robertson to make Virginia Beach schools the best possible place for teachers and students.
"An excellent learning environment for our students and a very rewarding work environment for our employees."
Kirsten Garofalo has three boys in the division.
With Robertson now at the helm, she said she wants to see the division fully funded to support special needs programs, as well as open communication between parents and teachers.
"I want to make sure that he puts parents with the students first. That they keep the lines of communication between the teachers and the parents and they don’t shut us out," she said.
Robertson said that open communication is important to him.
"We need the parents being in the know about what’s going on in their child’s classroom," he said.
In terms of safety, he said they’ve just revitalized a school safety task force.
"They’ll be bringing forth recommendations because we want to make sure our schools our safe, we also want to make sure our schools don’t look like prisons."
He also says that while working with so many impressionable children, the ramifications of social media worries him.
"I have great concerns about the challenges our kids face based on social media," he said. "We've issued restrictions on the use of cell phones in schools, for example. Quite frankly, I think we need to consider stronger measures on cell phones in schools. Which is going to require parent support."
As for his message for the students, he urges them to take advantage of all the division has to offer.
"We have so much to offer to you, from education to academics, to academy programs, to the arts, to athletics," he said. "Take advantage of us because we are here to serve you."
He also wants to keep the division moving forward with steadfast leadership.
"The challenge is when you’re really good, what do you need to do to be great? And so, that’s the focus right now. What are the tweaks we need to make so we can be great."
The school board's vote breaks down as follows:
AYE VOTES:
Beverly Anderson
Michael Callan
Jennifer Franklin
Staci Martin
Kimberly Melnyk
Jessica Owens
Trenace Riggs
Carolyn Weems
NAY VOTES:
Kathleen Brown
David Culpepper
Victoria Manning