An interview with superintendent Jesse Boyd, plus key dates and important links.
An Interview with Superintendent Jesse Boyd
Back-to-school is always an exciting time of year for Jesse Boyd, who is going into his second full year as superintendent of King George County Schools.
“Honestly, I’m just looking forward to everyone getting back, and to the excitement and energy that all of our staff bring back to the buildings,” he said.
But “more substantively,” Boyd said he’s looking forward to implementing two new major new initiatives—a cell phone-free policy and the Virginia Literacy Act, which goes into effect this 2024-25 school year.
The VLA is “a challenge we are ready to take on,” Boyd said. “For many months, we have been laying the groundwork for successful implementation, and now this is where the rubber meets the road.”
The VLA was passed by the General Assembly in 2022 and looks to improve literacy outcomes for Virginia’s students in grades K-8 using “scientifically based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction,” according to the Virginia Department of Education.
School divisions have received state funding for new curriculum and training for teachers and reading specialists—who, as Boyd explained, will be transitioning from “more of a hands-on role with our students to more of a coaching role with our teachers.”
The VLA calls for students who don’t meet reading benchmarks to receive additional instruction as outlined in a plan that will be developed with the family. Families will also have access to free online reading literacy instruction resources.
Boyd said that in King George, implementation of the VLA will mean more “time-on-task” for students in the classroom—or more time spent engaged in learning activities.
Cell phones
The cell phone policy is another initiative that will hopefully increase classroom “time-on-task.” The King George School Board has approved a policy that prohibits the use of cell phones and other personal devices during the academic day, and Boyd said he has been working with secondary principals to develop an implementation plan.
“They’ve done a really good job of considering all of the stakeholder groups—students, parents, administrators—and tried to come up with a really comprehensive and considerate and respectful plan,” Boyd said. “Everyone describes this as one of the greatest challenges of this generation—to really curb all the negative effects like anxiety and depression and all the other things that come along with [excessive smartphone and social media use].
Boyd emphasized that the division wants to implement regulations that are effective but also respectful, and that involve giving students the expectation and choice to comply with the new policy before their devices are locked up.
“What we are going to do is use a similar type of device [to the Yondr pouch] only when students violate the policy,” Boyd said. “In reference to this respectful approach, any time we impose a new expectation on our stakeholders, we want to allow them an opportunity to meet that expectation.”
New school building
In November, voters in King George will get a chance to choose, via referendum, whether the county will take out a bond to finance the construction of a new combined fourth elementary school and preschool.
Boyd said the school division stays out of politics. However, he said, “We understand that in order for our community to make an informed decision about such a big project, we do have a responsibility to educate them.”
“As November approaches,” he continued, “we will continue to make sure our community is aware of the enrollment that we have versus the capacity of our buildings. We want to make sure that everyone understands that we have some schools that are at or over capacity—and I think at the end of the day we’re all going to conclude that when we run out of seats available for our students, the only viable option to address that is to build a new school.”
Boyd said the division will also be inviting the community to tour the two school buildings that have been decommissioned—the old middle school and more recently, the preschool building on St. Anthony’s Road—to get a better understanding about their condition.
The preschool building is now entirely empty, Boyd said, and students have been placed temporarily at King George Elementary School.
“I have to emphasize ‘temporarily’ because we still have those capacity issues,” he said.
Boyd also highlighted that the division is excited to partner with the new Academy of Innovation and Technology at the University of Mary Washington this school year. King George has seven slots in AIT’s inaugural cohort and filled them all.
“We had more students apply than we had slots for,” he said.
Finally, Boyd highlighted that King George is still a semi-finalist in the U.S. Department of Education’s Career Z challenge, which will award grant funding to schools that demonstrate innovative approaches to increasing work-based learning opportunities for high school students.
Key Dates
- Transition Day (for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th grade students)—August 12
- First Day of School—August 13
- Thanksgiving Break—November 27-29
- Winter Holiday—December 23-January 3
- Spring Break—March 24-28
- Last Day of School—May 22
Websites
King George County Schools – Main Site
Information for Students and Families (links to supply lists, student registration, Parent Portal, student handbook)
School Board
Administrative Staff Directory
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