UPDATE: The meeting scheduled for May 2 at 5:30 p.m. has been cancelled.
The Orange County School Board has fast tracked the process to fill the vacant District 4 board seat.
Last week, the board held a special called meeting Thursday morning to interview potential candidates for the vacancy created by Chelsea Quintern’s resignation. At the time, the board had planned to host a public hearing May 12 with an appointment scheduled for one week later. However, on Monday board members announced the public hearing would be held Thursday, May 1 at 7 p.m. On Tuesday, that announcement was followed up by another to announce a special called meeting to appoint the new board member Friday, May 2 at 5:30 p.m.
Three candidates were interviewed for the vacant position. Seven initially applied, but two were deemed ineligible and two more withdrew their applications prior to the start of interviews. The three are Jenelle Cooper, Tina Whittington and O’Brian Martin.
Cooper is a Wilderness Shores resident. In her letter of interest for the vacant position, she said she is deeply committed to ensuring schools provide the highest quality education to all students. She has a background in the financial and mortgage industry and serves as the community service chair of Wells Fargo. If elected to the board, Cooper said she would focus on student development and achievement, supporting teachers, advocating for student safety and encouraging community involvement.
“I am eager to collaborate with fellow board members, educators, parents and the community to make informed decisions that benefit our students and prepare them for success,” she wrote.
Whittington is also a Wilderness Shores resident. She is the executive vice president of Students for Life of America, a nonprofit student outreach and public policy organization located in Fredericksburg. She is the parent of four children who have been educated in Orange County Public Schools and has a daughter-in-law who teaches within the school system. Whittington wrote that she’s deeply invested in the quality of education children receive and her background in nonprofit management has given her the skills necessary to serve on the board.
“My hope is to see OCPS continue to invest in our students’ academic success through top notch educational programs, including vocational programs, a safe and stable learning environment, and extracurricular activities that will both broaden their experiences and create
ownership in the broader community they live in,” she wrote.
Martin is the only one of the three to have qualified as a candidate in the upcoming November election for the District 4 School Board seat. He attended Orange County Public Schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and led DECA International. He is also a motivational speaker through Keynote Speaking and is a Virginia Tech student. As a senior at Orange County High School, he created the school board’s student representative position. Martin is passionate about workforce development. If appointed, he said he will continue to champion investment into career and technical education, workplace certification programs and teacher support and retention.
“As this school board looks to incorporate more topics regarding student achievement throughout its meetings, I believe having someone who is able to speak to the factors that affect and advance student achievement is integral to that vision,” Martin wrote. “By having a strong grasp of the school system in its recent history as a student, and now as an entrepreneur, I am keenly aware of the obstacles that lie ahead and how to navigate them.”
The board will host a public hearing regarding the vacancy May 1 at 7 p.m. followed by a meeting May 2 at 5:30 p.m. to vote on the appointment. Both will be held at 200 Dailey Drive, Orange.
