Taylor, Maneval to seek 2nd W’boro school Board terms

With budgets tightening and student achievement goals rising, two members of the Waynesboro School Board said Thursday they want the challenge of a serving a second term.

Current School Board Chairman Jeremy Taylor of Ward C and Ward D member Kathe Maneval said they would each seek a second four-year term in city elections next May.

Taylor, an attorney and the father of four children, called the education of children “the most enduring and consequential service a community provides for its citizens and families.”

He points to efforts during his term to address student achievement issues and hire reading and math specialists.

Maneval holds a master’s degree in education, is a certified public accountant in her native state of Delaware and the mother of four children. She said the diverse school board has worked well to serve Waynesboro.

“I believe it has been advantageous for the school board to have had an attorney and an accountant as members of the board,’’ she said. “We, along with our fellow three board members, bring different points of view and sets to do the work on the school board.”

During Maneval’s first term, she has worked to bring the adult basic education program back to Waynesboro at a streamlined cost rather than staying with a regional program.

Maneval also points to the school board’s commitment to a long-term utilities upgrade and savings through an agreement with LINC Services.

“These are two examples of how we have worked to free up money to put back into the classroom,’’ she said.

Both Maneval and Taylor said the school district’s mission is more challenging because of the funding challenges that lie ahead.

“We continue to face ever increasing benchmarks, increasing enrollment and decreasing funding,’’ Maneval said. “It will take creative solutions and an even closer scrutiny of our resources and expenses to meet those challenges.”

Taylor said the accountability demands of the Standards of Learning and No Child Left Behind must be met with fewer resources.

And he said it is important to remember the school district gets but one opportunity to educate a child for life.

Waynesboro Schools Superintendent Robin Crowder said both Taylor and Maneval have sought community partnerships for the school district and regularly meet with schools staff, teachers and students.