Norfolk Public Schools, Virginia

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Norfolk Public Schools
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Norfolk, Virginia
District details
Superintendent: Sharon Byrdsong
# of school board members: 7
Website: Link

Norfolk Public Schools is a school district in Virginia.

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Superintendent[edit]

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This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

Sharon Byrdsong is the superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools. Byrdsong began serving as acting superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools on June 19, 2019, and was appointed full superintendent on July 6, 2019. Byrdsong's previous career experience includes working as a high school teacher, senior director of alternative options, and executive director of secondary schools.[1]

Past superintendents[edit]

School board elections[edit]

The School Board of the City of Norfolk consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Members are elected by district.[4]


Office Name Date assumed office
Norfolk School Board Superward 6 Noelle Gabriel July 1, 2012
Norfolk School Board Superward 7 Rodney Jordan July 1, 2012
Norfolk School Board Ward 1 Adale Martin July 1, 2018
Norfolk School Board Ward 2 Tanya Bhasin July 1, 2015
Norfolk School Board Ward 3 Carlos Clanton July 1, 2018
Norfolk School Board Ward 4 Christine Smith July 1, 2018
Norfolk School Board Ward 5 Lauren Campsen July 1, 2018


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This officeholder information was last updated on August 3, 2021. Please contact us with any updates.
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Election dates[edit]

See also: Norfolk Public Schools elections in 2016, 2018, & 2020

Members of the School Board of the City of Norfolk are elected to four-year terms. Elections are held in May.

A general election was scheduled for May 19, 2020.

Public participation in board meetings[edit]

The School Board of the City of Norfolk maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[5]

BDDHZ/KDZ. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS

The School Board of the City of Norfolk welcomes the public to the business meetings and public hearings of the Board and dedicates time at these meetings to hear from the public on agenda items and other matters of concern. It is important for all community members to feel welcome and safe in the Board’s business meetings and public hearings. Audience members will be expected to treat all attendees with respect and civility.


I. REQUEST TO SPEAK

Requests to address the Board may be made by signing up to speak at a business meeting or public hearing. A sign-up sheet will be available by the entryway, or requests may be made in advance with the Clerk of the Board.


II. SPEAKER PROCESS

At the time the speaker signs up to speak, the speaker will complete all requested information listed below on the designated sign-up sheet. This information is required by the Clerk for the record.

  1. Name
  2. Street Address and/or School
  3. Email and/or Phone Number
  4. Topic

At the time of public comment, when the speaker’s name is called, the following steps will be followed:

  1. The speaker will come forward to the speaker’s podium. The speaker will state their name and whether they have a child in Norfolk Public Schools or if they are employed by the district.
  2. The speaker will state their position and give facts and other relevant data.
  3. If the speaker represents a group or organization, they may ask the others to rise and be recognized.
  4. The speaker will give any written statements or supporting materials to the Clerk for the record.

Correspondence with School Board members is subject to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. This means correspondence may be made public (1) if it deals with Norfolk Public Schools business and (2) if requested, even if marked confidential. Only a few topics are exempt from the disclosure requirement, such as information about identifiable students, and personnel information about individual employees.


III. SPEAKER TIME LIMIT

Speakers are limited to one appearance of three (3) minutes. When the Clerk signals the time is expired, the speaker will end their comments and be seated. The Board Chair will instruct speakers who exceed the time limit.


IV. GROUND RULES FOR ENGAGEMENT

  1. One (1) person is to speak at a time.
  2. Comments should be addressed to the Board, not an individual member.
  3. Adhere to the three (3) minute time limit.
  4. Comments should be focused on issues and solutions.
  5. Disorderly conduct that threatens disruption of the meeting will be ruled out of order by the Board Chair and the speaker asked to cease and be seated. If the speaker does not stop upon request, he may be removed from the meeting. Disorderly conduct is defined by City Code Section 29-10.
  6. All signs brought to the meetings are subject to the following:
    1. Signs must be held by hand.
    2. Signs cannot obstruct the view of others or television cameras.
    3. Signs cannot be posted on the walls.


V. EXPECTATIONS OF THE BOARD

The speaker may address the Board on agenda items and matters of concern related to the Norfolk Public Schools. Personnel, disciplinary, and confidential matters may be addressed to the School Board directly via email at schoolboard@npsk12.com.

The School Board of the City of Norfolk does not respond to public comments at the time they are given. At the Board’s request, the Superintendent or his/her designee will follow up with individuals as determined by the Superintendent.

Audience members will be expected to treat all attendees with respect and civility, just as Norfolk Public Schools expects of its students and staff.[6]

Budget[edit]

From 1993 to 2013, the Norfolk school district had an average of $310,033,476 in revenue and $308,407,524 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $48,454,619 in outstanding debt. The district retired $2,918,905 of its debt and issued $4,603,000 in new debt each year on average.[7]

Revenue[edit]

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source
Fiscal
Year
Local State Federal Revenue Total
Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue Total % of Revenue
2010$119,603,00030.82%$198,281,00051.09%$70,229,00018.09%$388,113,000
2011$126,542,00034.76%$179,249,00049.24%$58,217,00015.99%$364,008,000
2012$140,280,00036.25%$179,133,00046.29%$67,605,00017.47%$387,018,000
2013$130,084,00034.81%$184,660,00049.41%$58,976,00015.78%$373,720,000
Avg.$110,204,95236.19%$159,786,23851.21%$40,042,28612.60%$310,033,476

Expenditures[edit]

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

  • Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
  • Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
  • Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
  • Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
  • Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services
Expenditures by Category
Fiscal
Year
Instruction Support Services Capital Spending Debt & Gov. Payments Other Budget
Total
Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget Total % of Budget
2010$226,447,00058.19%$133,256,00034.24%$19,275,0004.95%$50,0000.01%$10,125,0002.60%$389,153,000
2011$208,623,00057.62%$127,175,00035.12%$16,082,0004.44%$41,0000.01%$10,156,0002.80%$362,077,000
2012$203,265,00053.68%$128,589,00033.96%$36,251,0009.57%$32,0000.01%$10,495,0002.77%$378,632,000
2013$211,987,00056.25%$133,802,00035.51%$20,157,0005.35%$24,0000.01%$10,863,0002.88%$376,833,000
Avg.$171,485,47655.14%$107,138,28634.91%$19,206,2866.26%$1,407,7140.55%$9,169,7623.14%$308,407,524

Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt
Fiscal
Year
Retired Issued Outstanding
2010$157,000$0$54,028,000
2011$0$0$0
2012$157,000$0$489,000
2013$157,000$0$332,000
Avg.$2,918,905$4,603,000$48,454,619

Teacher salaries[edit]

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year Minimum Maximum
2021-2022[8] $42,932 $108,129

Academic performance[edit]

Proficiency assessments[edit]

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[9]

Mathematics[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[10]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2018-2019 71 90 64 71 70-79 82 86
2017-2018 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2016-2017 62 76 56 67 55-59 69 73
2015-2016 71 91 63 76 85-89 80 84
2014-2015 71 89 64 76 80-84 80 84
2013-2014 61 82 52 65 65-69 71 78
2012-2013 56 78 47 62 60-64 67 75
2011-2012 53 75 44 59 55-59 65 73
2010-2011 77 89 71 80 85-89 82 88

Reading/language arts[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[10]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2018-2019 66 85 57 69 70-79 78 84
2017-2018 70 87 62 71 70-79 79 86
2016-2017 71 87 63 73 75-79 81 85
2015-2016 69 85 61 72 75-79 78 84
2014-2015 67 83 59 70 70-74 76 83
2013-2014 60 79 51 64 65-69 68 78
2012-2013 60 79 50 66 75-79 71 80
2011-2012 80 90 75 83 85-89 87 91
2010-2011 79 89 74 83 80-84 84 90

Graduation rates[edit]

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:[10][11]

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)
Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native
American (%)
Two or More
Races (%)
White (%)
2017-2018 78 90-94 73 75-79 ≥50 80-84 88
2016-2017 77 ≥90 72 70-74 ≥50 75-79 87
2015-2016 80 ≥90 76 75-79 N/A N/A 89
2014-2015 76 80-89 70 70-74 N/A N/A 87
2013-2014 75 ≥90 69 75-79 N/A N/A 84
2012-2013 73 80-89 66 80-84 N/A N/A 82
2011-2012 71 ≥90 65 80-84 N/A N/A 81
2010-2011 68 N/A 64 80-84 N/A N/A 74


Student enrollment[edit]

Year[12] Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2018-2019 30,087 -2.2
2017-2018 30,776 -2.1
2016-2017 31,425 -2.2
2015-2016 32,148 -0.4
2014-2015 32,290 -1.0
2013-2014 32,618 -0.8
2012-2013 32,887 -1.7
2011-2012 33,461 -1.0
2010-2011 33,787 -0.7
2009-2010 34,011 -1.2
2008-2009 34,431 -1.8
2007-2008 35,063 -1.5
2006-2007 35,610 -1.1
2005-2006 36,014 -0.7
2004-2005 36,250 -1.3
2003-2004 36,724 -0.1
2002-2003 36,745 -0.7
2001-2002 37,006 -0.9
2000-2001 37,349 -0.3
1999-2000 37,465 -1.0
1998-1999 37,852 -0.3
1997-1998 37,964 0.8
1996-1997 37,672 2.5
1995-1996 36,771 0.8
1994-1995 36,479 0.1
1993-1994 36,450 -1.7
1992-1993 37,065 -0.7
1991-1992 37,323 2.1
1990-1991 36,541 0.3
1989-1990 36,428 -0.7
1988-1989 36,690 1.1
1987-1988 36,304 0.6
1986-1987 36,084 -


About the district[edit]

Norfolk Public Schools is located in Norfolk, Virginia.
Norfolk Public Schools is located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is classified as a mid-sized city school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 30,087 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 52 schools.[13]


During the 2018-2019 school year, 72.5% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 2.8% were English language learners, and 14.4% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP).[14]

Racial Demographics, 2018-2019
Race Norfolk Public Schools (%) Virginia K-12 students (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 0.4 0.3
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 2.3 7.1
Black 58.9 22.2
Hispanic 10.2 16.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.2
Two or More Races 6.5 5.7
White 21.4 48.4

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Noteworthy events[edit]

2014-2018: School board transitions from appointed board to an elected board[edit]

In 2014, voters passed a referendum requiring an elected school board. The Norfolk City Council developed a plan to transition the School Board of the City of Norfolk from an appointed board to an elected board. The plan called for members to be elected by-district to four-year terms. Two seats were up for election in 2016 for a four-year term, and the other five seats were up for election in 2018 for four-year terms.[15] Beginning July 1, 2018, the school board became a fully elected body.[4]

Contact information[edit]

Norfolk Public Schools logo.jpg

Norfolk Public Schools
800 E. City Hall Ave.
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: 757-670-3945

See also[edit]

Virginia School Board Elections News and Analysis
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External links[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. Norfolk Public Schools, "Office of the Superintendent," accessed August 3, 2021
  2. The Virginian-Pilot, "Norfolk superintendent Melinda Boone resigns after 3 years on the job," June 5, 2019
  3. Norfolk Public Schools, "Dr. Melinda Boone, Superintendent," archived January 28, 2016
  4. 4.0 4.1 Norfolk Public Schools, "School Board," accessed August 3, 2021
  5. Norfolk Public Schools, "Norfolk City School Board Policies and Regulations, Section B: School Board Governance and Operations, Public Participation at School Board Meetings and Public Hearings," last revised April 21, 2021
  6. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. United States Census Bureau, "Public School System Finances: Historical Data," accessed December 1, 2015
  8. Norfolk Public Schools, "SY 2021-2022 Salaries and Wages," accessed August 3, 2021
  9. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 To protect student privacy, percentages were reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five (5) or fewer students were included in a data set, the data was replaced by "PS."
  11. U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "Four-Year Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates - School Year 2017-18 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
  12. National Center for Education Statistics, "ElSi tableGenerator," accessed March 8, 2021
  13. National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
  14. National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021
  15. The Virginian Pilot, "Two dozen candidates file for offices in Norfolk, Chesapeake," March 1, 2016

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