The Warren Heritage Society announced the appointment of Joe Petty as its new Executive Director.

Joe Petty brings experience and local knowledge to his new role. Raised in Warren County, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from George Mason University and has over 15 years of experience in community development. His professional background includes serving as Vice President of Operations for the Crystal City Business Improvement District, where he worked on enhancing the area’s perception and fostering a sense of community. Petty has recently been involved with the Warren County Government in the Planning Department and Economic Development.

“I am excited for this new opportunity with an organization that provides an amazing asset for education and awareness of our community,” Petty said. “Being from Warren County, it is an honor to accept this new role, and I am looking forward to the new experience.”

Teresa Henry, President of the Board of Directors, expressed her enthusiasm for Petty’s appointment. “I am thrilled to welcome Joe Petty as our new Executive Director. With his deep roots in Warren County and extensive experience in community development, I am confident he will lead the Warren Heritage Society to new heights in preserving and celebrating our rich history.”

The Warren Heritage Society, established in 1971, is dedicated to preserving the history of Warren County and educating the public about its heritage. The society is located at 101 Chester Street, Front Royal, Virginia. For more information, visit warrenheritagesociety.org.

Virginia State Police are investigating a tragic two-vehicle crash that occurred late Friday night, resulting in a fatality and serious injuries. The crash occurred on May 17 at approximately 10:50 p.m. on Route 340 (Stonewall Jackson Highway), two-tenths of a mile south of Coppermine Road.

According to the police report, a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu was traveling north on Route 340 when the driver failed to maneuver a curve, causing the vehicle to cross the double-solid yellow centerline. The Malibu collided head-on with a southbound 2011 Toyota Camry.

The driver of the Chevrolet, Cody A. Kanavel, 29, of Front Royal, VA, sustained life-threatening injuries in the collision. He was transported to Warren Memorial Hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. Police confirmed that Kanavel was not wearing a seatbelt during the crash.

The driver of the Toyota, a 59-year-old man from Rileyville, VA, suffered serious injuries and was transported to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for treatment. Authorities reported that he was wearing a seatbelt.

The Virginia State Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

In an emailed letter dated Friday, May 17, Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority (EDA, FR-WC EDA) Secretary Hayden Ashworth announced his resignation, effective immediately. Ashworth cited the workload associated with his employment as the reason for his decision:

“Please accept this letter as formal notification of my resignation as Secretary of the Board for the Front Royal Warren County Economic Development Authority, effective today, May 17, 2024.

“Due to the demands of my current work schedule in Washington DC, I am no longer able to dedicate the time and effort necessary to fully support the EDA in its important mission. This decision has not been easy, and I want to express my sincere appreciation for the past year I have served alongside this dedicated board.

“I am truly proud of the work we have accomplished together in creating opportunities for Warren County residents and fostering future economic growth. I have the utmost confidence that the EDA will continue its success in attracting new businesses and investments to our community.

“Thank you for the opportunity to serve. I wish the EDA continued success in its endeavors,” Ashworth wrote to his fellow board members, county officials, including County Director of Economic Development Joe Petty, whose last day in that position was also Friday, May 17.

Hayden Ashworth, far left at December 2023 EDA Asset Committee meeting. Also pictured around the table from Ashworth’s left are John Stanmeyer, Joe Petty, Rob MacDougall, and Jorie Martin. Royal Examiner File Photos Roger Bianchini

Ashworth was appointed to the EDA Board of Directors on March 7, 2023. His term was to expire February 28, 2025. We asked current EDA Board Acting Chairman Jd Walter about Ashworth’s loss. “The EDA Board of Directors has really appreciated Hayden’s time as a member, and are disappointed that he is unable to continue serving. Hayden has been a integral part of our Asset Committee, which has done the lion’s share of the work over the last year getting contracts on the remaining EDA properties. He also served as our Secretary and has been a great contributor and valued voice in our discussions. But we understand that work commitments are a priority, and we hope that at some point in the future, he may be able to return to the board,” Walter responded.

In recent months, citing conflicting time commitments to his seasonally based Mountain Home Bed & Breakfast business, then EDA Board Chairman Scott Jenkins did not apply for reappointment to the EDA board when his term ended February 29. Treasurer Jim Wolfe has also left the board recently and Jorie Martin has announced her intention to resign, though has put that resignation on hold temporarily.

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Hayden Ashworth, center right of table, joins former chairman Scott Jenkins, left head of table, Treasurer Jim Wolfe, center left of table, and County Director of Economic Development Joe Petty, near left back to camera, in leaving the County’s EDA mix in recent months. And Jorie Martin, partially obscured to Wolfe’s left, may also be leaving soon. Board of Supervisors Chair Cheryl Cullers, observing upper center, may need a scorecard soon to keep up with the EDA roster substitutions.

Readers may recall that when then-EDA Board Chairman Jeff Browne and member Greg Harold applied for reinstatement at the end of their terms in March of 2023 after helping guide the EDA through the immediate aftermath of the “financial scandal” of 2014-2018 (both were appointed in 2019), that the board of supervisors rejected their reinstatement requests. See related story (published April 5, 2023): “Did not seeing eye to eye with supervisors on property sales priorities lead to replacement of two longest-tenured EDA board members?”

Surgical technology students at Laurel Ridge Community College are set to benefit from cutting-edge training equipment thanks to the efforts of U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. The senators successfully secured $305,000 in funding to purchase LAPSIM® surgical simulators for the college’s Fauquier and Middletown campuses. This funding was part of a congressionally directed Labor-Health and Human Services-Education spending package.

Surgical technologists play a vital role in the operating room, where their responsibilities include preparing the surgical environment, readying patients for surgery, holding retractors, and cutting sutures. With the introduction of LAPSIM® surgical simulators, students will gain hands-on experience in these crucial tasks.

In 2023 and 2024, surgical technology graduates from Laurel Ridge had the opportunity to participate in mock surgeries, such as appendectomies, hysterectomies, and cholecystectomies (gallbladder removal), using simulators brought to the Fauquier Campus by a representative from Surgical Science for a demonstration in March 2023. This demonstration highlighted the benefits of the LAPSIM® simulators, which provide instant feedback and allow students to experience the surgical environment virtually.

Following the successful demonstration, Laurel Ridge applied for congressional funding to obtain these simulators. The college recently received confirmation that the funding has been approved.

“We’re glad to have helped secure this funding for Laurel Ridge Community College to train future surgical technologists and assistants,” said Senators Warner and Kaine in a joint statement. “This funding is an investment in Laurel Ridge and its students, as well as the greater health and wellbeing of our communities when we are grappling with health care provider shortages.”

Tina Putman, the director of the Surgical Technology program at Laurel Ridge, expressed her excitement about the new equipment. “These new simulators will provide our students with hands-on experience that was previously unavailable, significantly enhancing their training and preparation for real-world surgical environments,” she said.

The addition of the LAPSIM® surgical simulators marks a significant advancement for the Surgical Technology program at Laurel Ridge, offering students state-of-the-art training tools better to prepare them for their roles in the healthcare industry. This development benefits the students and aims to address the ongoing shortage of healthcare providers by ensuring that graduates are well-equipped with the necessary skills and experience.

The following is a list of highway work that may affect traffic in Warren County during the coming weeks. Scheduled work is subject to change due to inclement weather and material supplies. Motorists are advised to watch for slow-moving tractors during mowing operations. When traveling through a work zone, be alert to periodic changes in traffic patterns and lane closures.

*NEW* or *UPDATE* indicates a new or revised entry since last week’s report.

INTERSTATE 66
Mile marker 0 to 7, eastbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 31.

*NEW* Mile marker 2 to 1, westbound – Overnight right lane closures for pavement patching, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through Thursday night.

*NEW* Mile marker 9 to 7, westbound – Right shoulder closures for sign work, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

*UPDATE* Mile marker 11 to 12, eastbound and westbound – Left lane closures for Route 647 (Dismal Hollow Road) bridge inspection, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday.

INTERSTATE 81
Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound – Right shoulder closures for utility work, 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. through May 31.

Mile marker 299 to 300, northbound and southbound –Overnight lane closures and traffic-lane shifts as needed, 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. through December 2024. Shoulder closures 24/7. Work zone speed limit: 55 miles an hour. Work is related to southbound acceleration ramp extension and bridge widening, with estimated completion in late 2024.

PRIMARY ROADS
No lane closures were reported.

SECONDARY ROADS
Route 658 (Rockland Road) – Closed to through traffic between Route 340/522 (Winchester Road) and Route 705 (Fishnet Boulevard) for the construction of a bridge over Norfolk Southern Railway. Estimated completion: December 2025

Vegetation management may take place district-wide on various routes. Motorists are reminded to use extreme caution when traveling through work zones.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511 or at www.511Virginia.org.

Potential employee raises aren’t the only thing being considered by the Warren County School Board as it continues developing the 2024-2025 budget for Warren County Public Schools (WCPS), which has several areas of both immediate and future needs.

From left to right: School Board members Andrea Lo, Antoinette Funk, Kristen Pence, and Melanie Salins during their Wednesday, May 15 meeting and work session.

During the work session portion of its four-hour May 15 meeting, School Board Chair Kristen Pence, Vice Chair Antoinette Funk, and members Andrea Lo and Melanie Salins heard from WCPS staff about exactly what is needed for the next school year and beyond to help successfully educate the school division’s roughly 5,000 students. Board member Tom McFadden, Jr., was absent.

WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger pointed out to the School Board that everything from the teacher salaries to the health insurance, janitorial services, technology increases, math screener, substitutes, playground mulch, additional staffing, and buses, are currently driving the 2024-2025 budget.

Some highlights of specific needs for WCPS during the upcoming school year and included in its 2021-2026 comprehensive plan are:

Teachers

In addition to discussing the additional costs associated with raising the salaries for teachers, instructional assistants, and other employees, WCPS staff talked about adding more teachers and/or extending contracts.

For example, WCPS Personnel Director Jody Lee (pictured above) said the agriculture teaching position should be increased from a 10-month to 11-month contract. Agriculture classes are growing in size, he said, as are ag teachers’ responsibilities, which pretty much have extended over 12 months, despite them having 10-month contracts. WCPS also could benefit from adding another ag teacher position, according to staff.

“Most of your ag teachers are going to be 11- or 12-month employees because they do stuff over the summer time, and so this would not take away from needing [an]other position,” said Lee. “This is just something that needs to happen because they’re working over the summer and with their stipend that they receive that should only cover the extra hours during the school year not just for the summer as well.”

Ballenger agreed, adding that if the school division gets a Land Lab — which in Virginia provides agriculture students with hands-on opportunities to gain on-farm experience — it will have animals that need to be taken care of on a daily basis, all year long.

“So as the [ag] program grows, you’re going to see that we need to compensate for ag teachers’ time,” he said. “And it’s just what needs to be done.”

In other teacher-related areas, School Board members also again discussed a proposed 3 percent salary increase plus a step for teachers and instructional assistants, as well as a proposed 3 percent increase inclusive with a step for all other roles.

The Warren County Board of Supervisors, which funds a big chunk of the WCPS budget, has publicly said it supports such raises.

Substitute teachers

The current debate is whether to outsource the process for hiring subs or to bring the system in-house. At its meeting on Wednesday, the School Board did not decide which route to take but weighed recommendations from WCPS staff.

Currently, Educational Solution Services (ESS) is contracted by the division to hire substitutes but there have been complaints from teachers, substitutes, and even board members about the company.

Lee said he and Kendall Poe, deputy director of human resources and finance for WCPS, formed a committee to analyze the situation and make a recommendation to the School Board.

For outsourcing, they put together a request for proposal and received information from six companies. After narrowing the list down to three companies (EduStaff, Kelly Education, and ESS), Lee said the committee decided that WCPS should continue using ESS.

Among the reasons why, Lee said, are the comfort level of working with ESS, a long-time contracted company; ESS will provide a new absence management system and an on-site representative; ESS also offers nurse subs, an area of need for WCPS; and the costs were, while higher than the current budget, roughly about the same markup for all three companies.

“Kendall and I would also like a fair opportunity to make the corrections that we know we could have done a better job on our part and ESS is owned up to and is willing to do their part to make the partnership work,” said Lee, referring to complaints levied against ESS.

“I think there’s things on our end that we need to do better and I would like the opportunity to do that,” he said. “We know what we need to do now. We know how we can manage this better and give our principals direct contact with a representative that’s going to be in our building every single day and can help fill those short notice call-ins or whatever the case may be.”

“I’m disappointed that this committee was apparently tone deaf to the fact that ESS has really just dropped the ball repeatedly,” said Salins, who supports bringing the sub hiring system in-house.

Technology

WCPS Interim Technology Director Doug Stefnoski, who also coordinates instructional technology, explained why his department is requesting a $600,000 increase in the budget.

“I just wanted to point out that even though the narrative that we’ve been talking about is to use this cash to buy PCs because of the security upgrade that we discussed previously, that this is not really about just a one-time expense,” Stefnoski said. “I wanted to talk about the reasons why I’m asking this to be a permanent increase to our budget.”

Stefnoski (pictured above) said that the division’s current technology needs have already exceeded what’s been allocated, while unfunded needs from the previous school year were pushed onto this year’s budget.

“Long story short,” he said, “these expenses got us in the red already.”

And while WCPS does get funding from the federal E-Rate program — which is a discount program, not a grant that allows it to make technology-related purchases — the school division is required to have a 30 percent match.

“This is something that we rely on for purchasing a lot of our internet equipment, also for paying our internet bills,” Stefnoski explained to board members. “So, in my opinion, to not be able to have the funds to match this is basically throwing money away.”

And when he said that WCPS needs PCs, Stefnoski explained that “it’s really a function of we don’t have enough funds in this particular cost center to be able to develop an appropriate refresh schedule so that we can plan out our expenses over a longer period of time.”

Right now, he added, WCPS is “functioning in the emergency mode trying to get the $600,000 to cover the PC needs we have now, but that would only take care of our current need for that. We still have other needs.”

For example, WCPS must consider having a regular Chromebooks turnover schedule, as well as battery backups, wireless access points, and switches. And while some of this can be funded through the E-Rate program, the division still needs to have the funds in there to be able to develop a plan for that, he said.

“And in some cases, some of these things are not a guarantee that we would get the funding,” said Stefnoski, adding that rising costs are another consideration.

“So, if we’re just level funded in this cost center, then next year we’re already gonna be further in the hole because we don’t have enough to cover just the inflated costs for some of these programs that we use,” he said. “I want to say we don’t have enough to cover what we’re already trying to meet for the school needs. So we do need a larger budget for technology.”

“You’re just catching up and putting band-aids on things you’re working on?” asked Pence.

“Yes,” said Stefnoski. “I mean, these guys here, the techs, they’re the MacGyvers, the magicians, the mavericks. They’re holding stuff together with bubble gum and duct tape to make things work. But at some point, we need to be able to get the equipment that we need for our teachers and our students to do their jobs.”

Other expenses related to the proposed technology department budget increase include laptop upgrades, hardware purchases, and increased security (i.e. cybersecurity, data security, and physical security, such as cameras and speakers).

“I really can’t underestimate how bad that can be for a school system if you don’t have appropriate security in place,” Stefnoski said. “We do have a great team working towards making sure we have a secure system, but anything we can do for that would help.”

Future needs

As part of its 2021-2026 comprehensive plan, WCPS staff also spotlighted some future needs for consideration, including a higher starting pay rate for incoming custodians to stop the high turnover rates; school bus replacements, expanded bus routes, and higher fuel costs; rising preventative facilities maintenance costs; and recruiting, employing, and retaining highly qualified staff, among other areas.

Work continues

Nothing in the 2024-2025 budget is a done deal yet, according to WCPS Finance Director Robert Ballentine, who said the Virginia General Assembly recently approved the state’s budget and WCPS will wait, along with the Warren County supervisors, to see how that plays out locally.

“I’m anxious to see exactly what that means,” said Ballentine (pictured above). “I don’t know if there’s going to be more money or less money or maybe it’ll be exactly the same as we’ve built into what we’ve done up to this point. But that could affect things either in a positive or negative way.”

And the County also hasn’t yet voted on its budget, which includes funding for WCPS.

“We don’t have a final budget,” Pence said, “so I think it’s appropriate for us to talk about the things that we can do and what we can do with some of the extra asks and needs that we’ve had. I mean, ultimately we still need to put forth the budget that we need. Everybody seems to agree on the teacher increases. Everybody agrees on the teacher additions, that we need a reading specialist, and the ag teacher.”

“I’d like to make sure we keep the four reading specialists because I think that’s just a non-negotiable,” added Funk.

Video by Mark Williams, Royal Examiner.