It’s the biggest single item in each year’s county budget. It’s likely the largest single employer for Gloucester and Mathews counties. And what they produce every year—educated young men and women ready to face the challenges of the world—is by far the most important, precious product we have.
School divisions play such a big role in our lives. It may be an extremely trite thing to say, but children truly are our future. Their fate, as well as the direction of millions of dollars in local, state and federal revenues, has been entrusted into the hands of seven men and women in Gloucester and five individuals in Mathews.
The Gloucester and Mathews county school boards meet every month (and often more than that) to chart the course for the two divisions. They are tasked with everything from approving the curriculum, hiring the teachers and other employees, and making sure the buses run on time, to ensuring that children remain fed, motivated and excelling in the classroom. They also have...