There have been two resignations on the Albemarle School Board since August as the fall-out from the arrest of a former employee on multiple sexual assault charges.
First, at-large member Allison Spillman announced her resignation on August 4 at a School Board meeting.
“Serving on this board has taken a significant toll on my physical, mental, and emotional health,” Spillman said, and you can read the rest at the Crozet Gazette.
Fifteen people applied for the seat and the Board selected David Storm to serve in the position at their meeting on September 24 according to Cville Right Now. Storm had been a member of the ACPS’s long-range planning committee.
Before Storm took his seat on the School Board, former Rio District representative Jim Dillenbeck resigned after his five colleagues asked him to do so after comments made at a September 30 town hall meeting. Those comments revealed confidential personnel information.
The School Board held candidate interviews on October 29 with three candidates who submitted applications to fill the seat until the next election. A public hearing will be held on November 5 followed by an appointment on November 12.
One of the applicants is Leslie Pryor. She had been appointed by the School Board in January 2025 to replace the late Charles Pace as the Rio District School Board member. However, she lost the election to Jim Dillenbeck that November.
“I feel as if I have unfinished business to do,” Pryor wrote in her application. “I further feel that there needs to be an African American on the School Board. I am concerned about the trajectory of many policies that impact Black students and families.”
Daisy Rojas had also applied to be Spillman’s replacement and is trying again. She was once co-chair of the Long Range Planning Committee.
“I am excited about positive change and the chance to lift up our community,” Rojas wrote in her application. “We have so much opportunity and I want to help us…”
The last few words are not legible in the application.
The lone newcomer this time around is Jennifer Ortuno, a parent of children in Albemarle public schools.
“While no division is perfect and we have had some challenges, I feel confident that I can serve the Rio District and the community at large by helping to navigate through this difficult time,” reads her application. “I want to start rebuilding trust in the community and work to celebrate all of the good things already happening in the county schools.”
The public hearing is the main item on the agenda for the special meeting which begins at 6 p.m. in Lane Auditorium of the county’s office building at 401 McIntire Road. (meeting info)
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