Inside A3 Veterans offered free Cane-Fu Workshop
Powhatan, Virginia B1 Sloan leaves Indians with legacy of greatness
Vol. XXXV No.. 51
June 22, 2022
Rising costs put strain on FY 2022, 2023 PCPS budgets By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Rising costs are putting a strain on Powhatan County Public School’s current fiscal year budget and causing concerns about budget projections for next year as well. The Powhatan County School Board got a troubling update on the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget that ends June 30 and the FY2023 budget that begins July 1 during the June 14 meeting from Larry Johns, assistant superintendent for finance, business operations, transportation and food services. Johns outlined concerns he has not only about unexpected increases in costs for fuel, legal services and substitute teachers for FY2022 but how fuel costs, if they remain near current rates or even climb higher, are severely under budgeted in next year’s budget. “I have been worried about the budget for
months and months, just like I am sure all of y’all have been worried about price increases at the gas stations,” Johns told the board at the start of his presentation. “So I thought it would be very appropriate to update the board as to where we are with the current (2022) budget as well as the (2023) budget that we have coming up.” Following Johns’ presentation, board members asked questions and gave feedback on the information. Rick Cole, who represents District 1, pointed out that even though there are categories within the budget that unexpectedly went over budget because of inflation, it was due to the staff’s excellent practices and management that the school division still anticipates ending FY 2022 with the budget in the black. He thanked Johns, who will retire this month, for being a see BUDGET, pg. 9
Carroll embraces creativity, flexibility in helping clients
Managing Editor
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
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Managing Editor
POWHATAN – If the Powhatan County Department of Social Services can be anything to the community, what Meghan Carroll wants most is for it to be a useful tool bringing positive change. Hired in April as the director to helm the complicated agency, Carroll served in the role in an interim capacity for a few months before that after former director Sharon Rochelle accepted a state-
Beth Teigen hired as school superintendent By Laura McFarland
Meghan Carroll, who became director of the Powhatan County Department of Social Services in April, said she wants the agency to be a useful tool for positive change.
By Laura McFarland
PHOTO BY LAURA McFARLAND
After the June 14 meeting where she was hired as the new superintendent of Powhatan County Public Schools, Dr. Beth Teigen, right, meets the county’s three returning principals, Samantha Martin, from left, Tom Sulzer, and Constance Deal.
level position. The time since stepping into the position has been one of intense transition, Carroll said, but that has really been the case for the last few years with COVID-19 creating roadblocks for work that is usually hands-on and face-to-face. In the face of all that change, Carroll said she intends to follow the example set by Rochelle’s positive leadership because she has seen the power of what it can do. see CARROLL, pg. 10
POWHATAN – The Powhatan County School Board has hired Dr. Beth Teigen as the division’s new superintendent, beginning work on July 1. The board voted unanimously at its meeting on Tuesday, June 14 to hire Teigen, a Powhatan County resident who joins Powhatan County Public Schools (PCPS) from Henrico County Public Schools, where she is the chief of staff/deputy superintendent. She will replace Dr. Eric Jones, who retires at the end of this month. During the meeting, all of the board members welcomed Teigen, who stayed until the end and greeted people after it adjourned, and expressed their excitement to work with her. The vote to hire her ended an intensive months-long superintendent search facilitated by consultants with McPherson and Jacobson that involved gaining a wide range of input from staff, students, parents and community members. Chair Kim Hymel, who represents District 5, said 24 people applied to be the PCPS superintendent and the school board interviewed eight of them, ultimately choosing Teigen as the best fit for the job. Hundreds of hours were spent behind the scenes in preparation for all the group meetings, board meetings and interviews because the school board recognized they had an enormous amount of responsibility to get this right,
Hymel said. “This is the most important decision a school board member makes,” she said, adding she was relieved to know she had given it her all and that the task is accomplished. Valarie Ayers, District 3, also called hiring the superintendent one of the greatest responsibilities that a school board has. She added her fellow school board members had a tremendous commitment to Powhatan schools and the community and were willing to do what was needed to hire the best candidate based on guidance from the stakeholders’ input. “We formed the criteria for superintendent and interview questions based on what the people of Powhatan and our employees wanted and needed,” she said. Although she has never worked for the Powhatan school division, Teigen and her husband, Tryg, have lived in the county for 10 years. Teigen said in a separate interview last week that she was ecstatic with the school board’s decision to hire her and considers it the opportunity of a lifetime to be the superintendent in the community that she has chosen as her home. “There are many people that relocate to become a superintendent and that is not something I wanted to do,” she said. “My community, where we have chosen to live, is very important to me, so it was like having the stars perfectly align to have the Powhatan position open and knowing see SUPERINTENDENT, pg. 8
Young writer wins teleplay award at film festival By Laura McFarland Managing Editor
POWHATAN – Gracie Marcellus’ reaction to hearing her name called as a winner at the Richmond International Film Festival can only be described as exuberant. Initially blocked in by her father, Bob Marcellus of Powhatan – who himself was so excited for his daughter that he jumped up and was torn between trying to pull out his phone to video her and cheer and clap for her – the overwhelmed 20-year-old college student nevertheless managed to make it out to the aisle and propel herself toward the stage of the Byrd Theatre to accept her award. “I jumped up and ran down to the stage. I had heels on so if I
stopped and didn’t go as fast I would have tripped and fallen,” she said with a laugh. “The guy emceeing said ‘everyone should come down as excited as she did.’” Gracie Marcellus made it to the stage without incident, where she accepted the Merit Award for Best Virginia Teleplay in the 2022 Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) screenwriting competition for her television pilot script, see FILM FESTIVAL, pg. 6
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Gracie Marcellus was already thrilled to walk the red carpet at the Richmond International Film Festival but was over the moon when she took home the award for Best Virginia Teleplay.