see BSH

PHOTO BY LAURA MCFARLAND

Updates were made to the Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School Library as part of extensive renovations completed this summer.

BSH

Continued from pg. 1 Knight’s Charge Campaign coming to a close. Changes to Parker Gym included new LED lighting, new paint, fl oors completely refi nished, the court restriped, modernized colors and waterproofi ng the exterior of the building, said Sue Hickey, director of development.

“It is getting there. We ran into supply chain issues construction takes a little longer than planned but we are just a little behind on Parker Gym,” she said.

The updates to the gym are just the latest in a long line of changes the school will experience this year. Over the summer, every classroom was renovated and received new LED lighting, new paint, new fl oors and new doors, Hickey said. The library received the same treatment, as well as new custom shelving.

Almost the entire school was emptied out over the summer, with all of the equipment stored in 18 pods housed on the campus as well as in any spare space that could be found, Hickey said.

“We used every space not under renovation, which was not many,” she said with a smile, pointing out the summer “was chaotic but necessary and rewarding in the end.”

To say it was a busy summer is an understatement, Ledbetter agreed. The work on the classrooms had the tightest timeline but was fi nished on Aug. 12, the Friday before the teachers were due back on Monday to start their school year preparations.

It was when the teachers came back that everything that is happening really began to sink in for Ledbetter.

“Watching teachers organize and set up and their faces and how excited they were, that is when it hit me,” she said.

Teachers had caught glimpses of the work over the summer, she added. They came in for curriculum work, which is part of the Knight’s Charge Campaign. Different departments and grade levels came in one group at a time each week throughout t summer. They were reviewing current curriculum but also developing a BSH-specifi c curriculum in regard to student outcomes.

“Each department developed their own mission statement aligned with the school mission statement,” Ledbetter said. “So they developed goals that pertained to instruction, pertained to fi eld trips, experiential learning – specifi c goals they would be able to measure throughout this year.”

With Parker Gym wrapping up, the next big milestone is expected to be a ribbon cutting for the new 2,664-squarefoot visual arts center, which should be ready to go on Nov. 11, Hickey said.

After that, most of the attention will be on the construction of the new Brower Student Center, named after retired army Col. Keith Brower and his wife Kathleen, who have donated several million

Moose Lodge presents check to Powhatan Food Pantry

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Stuart Saunders, public relations chairman for the Powhatan Family Moose Center, presents a check in the amount of $2,225 to Theresa Fields, manager of the Powhatan Food Pantry, from their recent golf fundraiser.

toward making all of this work and staff development possible, Ledbetter said. The old Sullivan Gym and cafeteria were demolished this summer, and work on the new student center should start in December with an expected opening in fall 2023.

All of this is possible because of the $8.25 million Knight’s Charge Campaign, which is going well, Ledbetter said. The school has raised about $6.5 million toward its goal and is meeting with potential donors, doing tours, and enjoying its highest enrollment in recent history.

The adjustments the school has made around the construction projects to keep life as normal as possible are not as diffi cult as expectedand are even yielding some nice surprises, Ledbetter said. For instance, without a cafeteria, students, who are bringing their lunches, have been allowed to eat outside more, which they seem to enjoy as the weather is nice. The school brought in extra picnic tables and they also enjoy sitting together on towels and blankets.

“It has been really good. It seems like since COVID the start of every year has brought new challenges and new things to fi gure out such as eating lunch outside and with the gym not ready having to do PE outside,” Ledbetter said. “It is great how those challenges can bring about positive changes and new ways of doing things.”

CONCERNS

Continued from pg. 5

In the Sept. 14 interview, Teigen addressed the concerns raised about how the school division’s fi nances have been handled. While she is still new to the position of superintendent, having only started in July, Teigen pointed out that the school division has been collaborating with the county on preparing for the annual audit, which is reviewed by an independent auditor, Brown Edwards. There have been no signifi cant fi ndings and the county – and by extension the school division – has received excellent audit reports for years, she said.

Auditors are expected to come on site in October for their review of the FY2022 fi nancials and will likely issue their report in November, she said.

“We have these external auditors come in every year looking at both us and the county. If there had been a problem you would have expected that it would have materialized prior to now,” Teigen said, but added they would wait for the audit results and feedback.

Teigen said she does not feel the division is overstaffed in the fi nance department.

“We are lean but we have a really strong department and they are very supportive of one another. I would never say we are overstaffed,” she said.

Regarding defi cit spending, Teigen pointed out Jones and Larry Johns, who retired in June as assistant superintendent for fi nance and business operations, were forthcoming at their last school board meetings that there was a possibility of the division ending the fi scal year in the red because of rising costs in some areas, which is why they took the proactive measures of a spending freeze. The freeze was communicated divisionwide May 25 and lasted until June 30, she added.

As she had at the school board meeting, Teigen also pointed to the amount of information that still comes in for a few months after the fi scal year ends for a school division, whether that is reimbursement for grants (especially if the division wants to submit changes for approval after determining ways funds can be used more effectively), bills for services and goods used by PCPS, or even the fi nal sales tax numbers for the county that can sometimes be a nice boon.

“That is why you don’t know the end of the year on the June 30 date. You are waiting for all of these additional funds – both bills that are coming in as well as revenues to cover those bills over the next two months. So Aug. 31 was when we offi cially closed out the FY 2022 and were able to bring forward data and the reserve that we still have,” Teigen said.

She added that while the freeze was lifted, staff will continue to closely monitor spending to ensure the division is staying within the budget.

Regarding the procurement processes, Teigen said Johns started discussions about the need for a change before he retired but did not want to commit to a system, instead allowing the new director of fi nance to implement a new system he or she would carry on. One example would be transitioning from paper copies of purchasing orders to a more automated system, which the school division already planned to move toward. Teigen noted that the county had suggested hiring a procurement manager position that would serve both the county and school division to help facilitate larger purchases, which she sees as a positive change that will hopefully represent cost savings for everyone.

County administrator Ned Smither confi rmed the county is actively recruiting for the procurement manager position with the job posted for a few weeks, and that it will serve both the county and schools.

While there are localities and school divisions that share the same accounting and reporting systems, Teigen pointed out that the system PCPS uses is “very customized to the needs of K-12 school divisions” and is “very responsive to our needs.”

Teigen said PCPS is in compliance with its payroll accounting codes according to state law on the annual report submitted to the state. However, for more detailed tracking, the division uses additional codes internally.

Regarding payroll procedures, she said the division has software and procedures in place that are updated as changes are needed.

SCHOOLS

Continued from pg. 3

in these high school program options.

Applications will be available beginning on Oct. 14 from Patty Haskins in the Gifted Services offi ce (B210) and Carley Toney in the school counseling offi ce. Applications will be available to students currently enrolled in Algebra I. Private and homeschool families seeking applications will need to schedule an appointment with Haskins to come to Powhatan Middle School, provide proof of residency and pick up an application. Applications cannot be mailed. The deadline for eighth graders to submit an application is Dec. 1, 2022.

All four schools will hold three sessions families may attend. A PCPS Program Participation Overview will be given at 5 p.m. The three sessions are from 5:15-5:45 p.m.; 5:50-6:20 p.m.; and 6:25-6:55 p.m. PCPS and Program Staff will be available in the Commons for additional questions.

Laura McFarland may be reached at Lmcfarland@powhatantoday.com.

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September 21, 2022

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Page 7A

Splashes of color make morning program pop

By Laura McFarland

Managing Editor

The entire pumpkin was a vibrant but monotone orange and the night sky shaping up to be a fl at black before I learned my fi rst tip.

With an artist paint brush in my hand – a rare occurrence in my adult life – and a canvas in front of me, art teacher Shelley Crawford walked over and asked if she could demonstrate a technique to help add richness and depth to the canvas. She took the brush with black paint on it and dipped it lightly in the small puddles of yellow, red and teal spaced out on the paper plate.

She began mixing the colors into the fl at black already layered on the canvas, taking it from an inky darkness without depth to the fi rst signs it could be a nighttime nature scene like the sample image left at the stations before everyone arrived.

The piece of advice was one of several Shelley, who is the owner of Sunshine Art and Lessons, gave over the next hour during a free painting session held Sept. 14 at Powhatan County Public Library. The program was one of several being sponsored this fall by the Friends of the Library group.

During the painting program, people of varying degrees of painting knowledge and skill came together to recreate a simple – for them maybe, super complicated for this novice – night scene of a pumpkin sitting in a fi eld of grass and wildfl owers with their own spin on it.

I debated signing up for the free class at fi rst because taking an hour for myself in the middle of a busy work week goes against the grain. At the same time, for a job without a set schedule because it fl ows with the happenings of Powhatan, a little fl exibility to my advantage is a nice perk every once in a while.

I will be up front and say right off the bat that I have no immediate plans to take up painting as a new hobby. The class was a blast and so enlightening but I took it more for the experience and maybe to get away from claiming I can’t paint when the truth is I’ve just never learned or practiced painting to know if any skill is there and could be developed.

While the class didn’t lead to a mad dash to the craft store to start buying supplies for another hobby to drain my bank account, it did serve exactly the purpose for which I originally started out. It offered the opportunity to explore a medium mostly unfamiliar to me, even if only for a little while.

Initially, playing with the paints to look at different color combinations and the creations of a variety of colors felt a little like akin to what young artists exploring the world of color combinations for the fi rst time must feel. Asking Shelley, her helper or other experienced participants questions was unerringly helpful, but some of it was just about experimenting and playing to see what you can discover and create.

Of all the things attempted on that little canvas, fl owers proved both the biggest challenge and the greatest sense of accomplishment. Brush hovering over the canvas, every image of shapes and colors of fl owers seem to evaporate from my memory.

Being completely candid, the end result on my canvas at the end of an hour long class would fall far short in comparison to even some of the youngest artists featured in Powhatan County Public Schools annual Youth Art Month exhibit, which takes place every March. It’s not something I am likely to display or keep forever.

But when I looked at the painting after I was done, while trying to view it with a bit of a critical eye, one aspect of it stood out – one of those problematic fl owers. During one of the several instances of mixing colors and playing with brushstrokes, a red, orange and yellow fl ower of my own imaginings but reminiscent of a pinwheel somehow took shape and was pleasing to my eye. It was a small victory for this beginner’s skills but a welcome one beyond the simple pleasure of taking a class, learning something new and socializing with fellow community members.

I’ll take this opportunity to give a special shout out to the Powhatan Library and its Friends group for revitalizing the adult programming this fall, whether it is monthly Monday movie showings, gentle yoga, an introduction to painting or other events. With the library seeking to build back stronger than ever after the COVID-19 pandemic as far as programming and offerings it is also an excellent time to reach out to share your ideas for programming and even possibly offer your own skills to make someone else’s day.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Free Clinic grateful for Moose Family Center’s support

Dear Editor,

On behalf of myself, the Board of Directors, staff and especially the patients I would like to thank all the members of the Powhatan Moose Family Center #1840 for your wonderful gift to the Free Clinic of Powhatan. Thank you for selecting the Clinic to be the recipient of your annual fundraising golf tournament. We also thank all the participants and sponsors that made this a great success! What an impact your Club and gift has on the community and the Clinic. You have helped to make it possible for the Clinic to continue to serve our muchneeded low-income, uninsured population. You have helped us to initiate, improve and expand our services. The Free Clinic is so needed in the community. It has grown. It is the only safety net where so many of our residents can receive health services free of any fees or charges.

Sometimes thank you does not seem enough to tell you how much impact you have on a community. You have helped to make Powhatan a healthier more vibrant part of the Richmond community. Again, thank to all at the Powhatan Moose Family Center.

With much appreciation,

Connie Moslow Executive Director Free Clinic of Powhatan

Another bureaucracy or meaningful legislation?

Dear Editor,

The following email was sent to Mr. Jerome Brooks - Regional Director - Piedmont Regional Offi ce of Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) as part of a dialogue referencing the proposed Green Ridge landfi ll in Cumberland County. Permitting for the Green Ridge landfi ll has been in the hands of the VA DEQ since early 2020 for evaluation. As referenced in the email, the VA legislature passed the Environmental Justice Act in 2020 that set up an Offi ce of Environmental Justice (OEJ) to oversee all VA state departmental projects for their impact on the environment. A portion of the Environmental Justice Act is to ensure that a project does not negatively impact a specifi c portion of the surrounding community compared to the community as a whole. A demographic study is provided as part of that process. The question is “does the OEJ have any power to approve, deny, question, control the actions of the DEQ for issuing a permit to operate a landfi ll considering the demographics of the landfi ll’s location”? Mr. Brooks,

Thank you for your well wishes and response to my email concerning the Green Ridge landfi ll request currently being processed by DEQ.

After four years observing the “gives and takes” of the Green Ridge permitting process it appears to me, as an average citizen, that DEQ’s role is to help the applicant (Green Ridge) receive the permit by simply making sure the rules are followed. If I may be so bold as to comparing the process to a math test where the student gets a do-over if they give a wrong answer. If however DEQ were to view this particular project based solely on the choice of location, it should have been rejected earlyon for reasons too numerous to mention here.

Never-the-less, my point in contacting Danielle (OEJ coordinator) is to question the role of Environmental Justice in the permitting process, not to question her ability or desire to perform the duties of her position.

As I tried to state in my email, if a project under review by DEQ has signifi cant negative impact on a portion of the community as defi ned by an in-depth demographic report why wouldn’t that information be used to fulfi ll the charter of the Environmental Justice Act (EJA)? As I believe Danielle stated the reason is that the report was not submitted as part of the Application Part A. Why does that matter?

I would again re-state my question; “if DEQ is a state agency and its charter is to authorize or reject a request for a permit for one of, if not the most, potentially toxic impactful projects upon the environment, but due to timing or a procedural issue the information is not accepted then I question why the OEJ even exists?”

A landfi ll has very serious implications for the surrounding rural community. To ignore facts about those implications early-on because of “timing or procedural” issues only “kicks the can down the road” and delays the inevitable.

Last year an attempt was made (HB1200) to add code to the siting requirements of a landfi ll that would require a double liner and a distance requirement between a landfi ll and private wells. The bill was defeated primarily due to the “waste industry” lobby but will be revised and re-submitted in this legislative session. In some small way this will help but certainly not prevent leakage or contamination over time.

In closing, it happens all too often that a law is passed but because of inaccurate wording or interpretation is never acted upon. Environmental Justice is too important to the health and welfare of citizens to allow that to happen.

I would humbly ask for you to do whatever possible to incorporate the EJA into the permitting process of all Virginia landfi lls.

Sincerely, Don Silberbauer Powhatan County

Resignation letter points to issues in school finances

Dear Editor,

FRAUD! WASTE! ABUSE! Here in lovely Powhatan County? YES! First, we learned that our County Administrator handed out huge raises of $20,000 and more to employees in violation of County policies and procedures. Now, we’ve learned more troubling news. On July 1, 2022, PCPS hired a new Finance Director with impeccable credentials. On August 20, 2022 – less than two months later – that new Finance Director resigned. Why would a respected professional give up a good paying job so quickly? Good question! He laid out these seven accounting “red fl ags” in his resignation letter: 1. Substantial defi cit spending. 2. Poorly managed grant reimbursements. 3. Antiquated procurement processes. 4. Long-standing use of payroll accounting codes outside of state law. 5. Back-of-envelope payroll procedures passed from person to person without formal written guidelines or procedures. 6. Staff objections to basic guidelines followed by peers in other divisions. 7. Concerted resistance to Board oversight or unifi ed County accounting/reporting systems.

According to the Finance Director, he discussed these issues with Dr. Teigen on a number of occasions, to no avail. As someone who spent 40+ years investigating fi nancial crimes, this resignation letter concerns me. Organizations like The Association of Certifi ed Fraud Examiners report that counties our size lose at least 3% to FRAUD, WASTE, ABUSE, INCOMPETENCE – in Powhatan’s case that’s nearly $5 million dollars.

Since October 2021, I’ve had meetings one-on-one and addressed both the BOS and PCPS boards about lack of adherence to policies and procedures, inadequate policies and procedures, and little to no fi nancial oversight. Many local, state, and federal governments have a dedicated unit to audit policies and procedures. Those audits save money. Unfortunately, my repeated recommendations for an audit continue falling on deaf ears.

Recently, I was told I’m complaining because I’m “on the losing team.” Well ... I’m on the TAXPAYERS’ Team. And we are losing. We’re losing our tax dollars to fraud, waste, abuse, and incompetence! If you’re also concerned, give your BOS and PCPS Board this message — we want a full audit of fi nances and policies. Any explanation or shifting blame is unacceptable. Powhatan County needs an independent audit before more money is lost. The fox won’t tell you how many chickens are in the hen house. In November, let’s vote the foxes out.

Harry Markland Powhatan County

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