Inside A3 Fallen officers honored
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Two Indians statesbound
Vol. XXXV No.. 48
June 1, 2022
PCPS staff turnover higher than usual at year-end By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – New school years are always times of transition, but with a divisionwide staff turnover that is higher than usual – especially at the administration level – the start of the 2022-2023 school year is anticipated to be a time of significant transition. As of May 23, a total of 86 of the 635 full-time employees on staff, or 13.54%, have departed or announced that they would not return next school year, according to Terri Allison, director of human resources for Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS). A variety of reasons were given for the departures – retirement, other job offers, changing careers, moving, entering the military, stress from the COVID-19 pandemic, personal reasons and more. There were also three deaths during the year. PCPS was already expecting to see substantial change with the hiring of a new superintendent after Dr. Eric Jones announced his plans to retire at the end of the school year, and some staff turnover is normal in most school divisions when there is a change of leadership, Allison said. But with 38 teachers and 17 administrators not returning next year, it is going to have a huge impact in the
beginning of the year to have so many people in those key roles facing a major learning curve, she said. “It is scary times for our school division. It is the reality of what we are facing,” she said. “The reality is there are a lot of changes going on in Powhatan County Public Schools. We have people who are going to step up to the challenge, there will be new people coming in to step up to the challenge, but it will be a time of transition.” The school division has already been preparing for that transition by having staff members prepare overviews of departments so employees taking on major leadership roles can get a quick understanding of the positions and resources, said Tracie Omohundro, assistant superintendent for instruction. The goal is “to really showcase what we do for the people who are coming in and to create some really good examples of the strong program we believe we have here” as well as “capturing the institutional knowledge that may go with some people.” Omohundro said she has visited schools recently and spoken with staff who were worried about what comes next. Her response, she said, is that PCPS has an amazing foundation with great students, teachers, resources, facilities and instructional supports, so it is go-
ing to be OK. “While I understand that change is going to be hard for a lot of people, what we do day-to-day in our classrooms, we’ve got that foundation already built and it is a strong foundation and I would attribute that to the last nine years. I look forward to the new energy that may come with some of these changes, but I am very confident in what we have built so hard,” she said. She added, “Change is going to be hard; it’s scary but we have work to do.” Increasing numbers There is some degree of turnover in any given year, but a comparison of the past four school years shows the numbers are significantly higher this year, Allison said. PCPS saw 56 of 615 employees leave after the 20182019 school year, or 9.10%, she said. Despite worries about the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 – or maybe because of it – turnover wasn’t as high for the 20192020 school year, with 47 of 612 full-time employees leaving, or 7.68%. The number was higher again after the 2020-2021 school year, with 66 of 626 employees leaving, or 10.54%. But the 86 leaving this year is still a see TURNOVER, pg. 4
Powhatan High School Class of 2022 graduates
KEEGAN MCCULLOUGH Valedictorian
JULIANNA CASCONE Salutatorian
McCullough, Cascone lead Class of 2022 By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND
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Powhatan High School Class of 2022 valedictorian Keegan McCullough speaks to his fellow graduates at the May 26 ceremony. See more about the graduating class on Pages 8A and 9A.
Farmer, rural advocate Max Timberlake remembered
POWHATAN – Keegan McCullough and Julianna Cascone lead the class of Powhatan High
By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Max Timberlake Jr. was just a farmer, plain and simple. At least that is how he described himself, even including it as part of the signature on emails he sent. The longtime Powhatan farmer, president of the Powhatan Farm Bureau Federation and
School’s Class of 2022 as valedictorian and salutatorian with GPAs of 4.6440 and 4.616, respectively. McCullough is the son see LEAD, pg. 3
all-around advocate for preserving rural Powhatan died May 23 after an illness. He was 75. Timberlake was remembered by friends and family last week for his devotion to Powhatan County, preserving its agricultural history and seeing those traditions live on in younger generations. Timberlake had been president of the see TIMBERLAKE, pg. 10
ACA graduates earn Reynolds’ associate degrees
PHOTO COURTESY OF POWHATAN HIGH SCHOOL
Powhatan High School’s Advance College Academy Class of 2022 participants who graduated with an associate degree from Reynolds Community College are: top row, from left, Jack Dennis, Connor Yates, Hayden Wasson; middle row, Russ Holland, Savanna Harrison, Carter Mikita, Julianna Cascone, Brynne Smith, Reece Smith, Ainsley Alexander, and front row, Keegan McCullough, Sarah Daniels, Callie Mikita, Mikie Sanchez, Peyton Tuttle, Sheyla Daniels, Erika Roark and Kyleigh Brooks.
By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Less than two weeks
before they graduated with a diploma from Powhatan High School, 18 seniors in the Advance College Academy (ACA) program first walked a different stage and
received their associate degree. Now in its fifth graduating cohort, the ACA program is a partnership between see ACA, pg. 5