Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin presented the Spirit of Virginia Award to Coach Joe Gibbs’ nonprofit organization, Youth For Tomorrow (YFT), during the annual Burgundy and Gold Banquet. The ceremony, attended by past and present Washington Commander players and other dignitaries, celebrated YFT’s significant impact on children and families throughout Virginia since its founding in 1986.

First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin and Governor Glenn Youngkin present the Spirit of Virginia Award to Coach Joe Gibbs and Dr. Gary L. Jones on May 16, 2024. Official photo by Shealah Craighead.

First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin and Governor Glenn Youngkin with Coach Joe Gibbs and Peyton Manning on May 16, 2024. Official photo by Shealah Craighead.

“Youth For Tomorrow is a God-inspired organization that has truly impacted thousands of kids throughout our Commonwealth,” Governor Youngkin remarked. “Led by a passionate group of individuals answering the call to serve others, Youth For Tomorrow provides every young person who feels lost and without hope a safe place to feel loved and supported.”

First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of support systems for all Virginians, especially children. “Youth For Tomorrow does just that, sowing the seeds for a more prosperous and positive Virginia.”

Coach Joe Gibbs, the founder and chairman of YFT, shared his heartfelt appreciation for the recognition. “Youth For Tomorrow was a dream and a calling the Lord had placed on my heart. My vision was to establish a Christian home for troubled teenage boys. Almost 40 years later, that dream is a reality and is more than I ever could have imagined,” he said. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Gary Jones, I am deeply honored to receive this distinguished Spirit of Virginia award from the First Lady, Suzanne Youngkin, and the Governor.”

Dr. Gary L. Jones, CEO of YFT, expressed his gratitude for the award, highlighting the organization’s extensive service history. “It is with our sincerest gratitude, accepting this award which recognizes the countless lives we have impacted over our 38-year history. It is with God’s grace that YFT has touched the lives of almost 40,000 children whose lives were in despair when they arrived on the doorsteps to our homes on campus and behavioral health regional offices.”

Since its inception, Youth For Tomorrow has dedicated itself to supporting at-risk and vulnerable children and families. Originally established to help troubled teenage boys, YFT expanded its services to include teenage girls in 2003, introducing programs like Mommy & Me for pregnant teens and girls with infants. Recognizing the dire issue of human trafficking, YFT also offers residential treatment for exploited and sexually trafficked domestic teenage girls.

YFT’s Bristow campus provides a haven for over 100 children, supported by more than 150 residential, therapeutic, and education staff. These professionals offer various services, including residential treatment, case management, clinical, nursing, psychiatric services, mentoring, and educational opportunities.

Beyond residential programs, YFT operates six regional offices providing behavioral health services such as mental health assessments, individual therapy, marriage and couples counseling, and substance abuse counseling. As of 2020, YFT serves nearly 800 children in residential services annually and conducts over 28,000 counseling sessions for children and their families in crisis. The organization also offers Therapeutic Day Treatment in selected elementary and middle schools in Prince William, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties to help children develop the life skills necessary for making positive decisions.

The Spirit of Virginia Award celebrates unique qualities and outstanding achievements across the Commonwealth. It salutes Virginians for their significant contributions to private industry, education, culture, the arts, and philanthropy.

Governor and Mrs. Youngkin will present four more Spirit of Virginia Awards in 2024, continuing their commitment to recognizing excellence throughout the state.

On May 17, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin proudly announced that Virginia experienced continued job growth in April, with the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remaining below 3.0 percent at 2.8 percent. This figure is 0.1 percentage points lower than last month and 1.1 percentage points below the national rate, which rose to 3.9 percent.

“Our goal since day one has been for more Virginians to hear the words ‘you are hired,’ and each new job created represents a step toward a stronger Commonwealth and a promising future for all Virginians,” said Governor Youngkin. “It is our strong job growth that enabled us to pass and sign a bipartisan budget this week, making historic investments in areas important to our workforce, such as childcare for working families, behavioral health, and education. We will keep Virginia on a winning path and strengthen our economic vitality and our communities.”

In April, non-farm payroll employment in Virginia grew by 3,400. The number of employed Virginians increased by 517 to a total of 4,455,081. Since January 2022, over 204,000 more Virginians have found employment. Despite the labor force decreasing by 4,375 to 4,584,350, unemployed residents fell by 4,892 to 129,269. The labor force participation rate, which measures the proportion of the civilian population aged 16 and older that is employed or actively looking for work, decreased slightly to 66.4 percent.

“Continued employment growth and a sustained low unemployment rate signal resilience in our economy, paving the way for more robust job creation ahead,” stated Secretary of Labor Bryan Slater.

Secretary of Commerce Caren Merrick added, “Our focus remains on creating a strong labor market where every Virginian can find opportunities to thrive and contribute. We continue to be aggressive in attracting, expanding, and supporting new businesses in the Commonwealth.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes employment figures through the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) household survey and the Current Employment Statistics (CES) establishment survey. The LAUS survey is based on household interviews and provides comprehensive data on the labor force, including employment and unemployment. In contrast, the CES survey uses payroll records from employers to count jobs covered by unemployment insurance, excluding business owners, self-employed persons, unpaid volunteers, private household workers, and those on unpaid leave or not working due to labor disputes.

For more detailed information, visit the Virginia Works LMI website at virginiaworks.com.

Many years ago, where we worshipped, the Church was trying to reach people moving into the area; in small ways, it worked; in a shifting population, the total effect is always unknown.  It was a time of new houses, people, and church buildings with new names.

I have lived in this County for 35 years and have seen much growth: schools, shopping places, restaurants, and buildings to meet every need…physically, mentally, and spiritually; churches with new names: The Father’s Way, Freedom Worship Center, The Black Stockings (Two by Twos), Trinity Church, Monterey Church, Spirit Care/Support Ministry Center, House of Nanak, Home Church, The New Church, and the World Church.

Why does this happen over and over again? Is the answer in Proverbs 16:21!

If one could talk to all these congregations, the answer would be, “We felt that we needed our own name and church building.” One person I know told me their group thinks playing horns adds greatly to the service.”

If I went into a nice restaurant and only ordered black beans and rice, I would want to receive black beans and rice.  If the waitress boasted of adding two other kinds of beans to the black beans and maybe chopped ham, and the rice was given a ‘kick’ from the hot sauce, chopped onions, and garlic.

Well, how about trying to buy a nice men’s suit, and the owner comes out with a clown’s outfit with the red bulb nose and a flaming red hat with the tiny bells…well, maybe I have gone too far, in the end. We are on prongs of modern times that can’t get anything broken or fixed.  What you are wearing this season will not be there next season.

I finally visited the home attic; lots of stuff in boxes that had a purpose once up upon a time; a friend at McDonald’s, when he heard of my attic visit, invited me to his acreage and a barn filled with whatever…he said he was afraid to go near the barn!

The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. The proverb describes the wisdom of the heart, for which others will call you prudent. Note two things – this wisdom is in the heart, not the head and the effect is prudence, not brilliance. The wisdom here is not head knowledge but the understanding of a discerning heart. The result is prudence and practical wisdom for happy and successful living.

If you have practical wisdom in your heart, you may not know how to communicate it to others to gain their trust, calm their fears, satisfy their questions, or change their minds. There are men and women with discernment and prudence who leave no mark on the world because their abrupt, calloused, insensitive, or rude communication turns others off. This is a great waste, for the wisdom that could serve others never gets to them.  (Biblical Concordance)

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.

A new scholarship accepted with gratitude by the Warren County School Board at its May 15 meeting honors a former high school student who passed away last summer.

School Board members Chair Kristen Pence, Vice Chair Antoinette Funk, and members Andrea Lo and Melanie Salins voted 4-0 to accept the new scholarship opportunity that begins with the Class of 2024 at Warren County High School in the amount of $500. Board member Tom McFadden, Jr., was absent.

Called For the Love of Josh Scholarship, the award honors Joshua Braden Lillard, who died by suicide on August 19, 2023. He was a senior at Warren County High School.

Dorothy Hicks, above at the podium, presents the For the Love of Josh Scholarship to the School Board on May 15 in honor of her son, Josh Lillard. WCPS Assistant Superintendent Heather Bragg stands nearby.

Since Josh’s death, his mother, Dorothy Hicks, told the School Board that a big part of her family came together and formed a nonprofit organization, also called For the Love of Josh.

“We want to support other teens and give to other teens, plus much more,” she said. “We greatly appreciate all of the community, especially Warren County, for everything that they have done for me and my family and for Josh. They were there for me before he did this and tried to help me with him.”

Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Heather Bragg thanked Josh’s family “for their time, contribution, and support of Warren County High School graduates.”

In other action during the board’s meeting on Wednesday, the Warren County School Board approved changes to Codes GDBD-R Support Staff Leave and Absences, and GCBD-R Professional Staff Leave and Absences to reflect the school division’s sick leave payout incentive.

Originally presented during the board’s March 20 meeting, this was the third and final reading of the teacher and instructional assistant sick leave payout incentive changes, according to WCPS Personnel Director Jody Lee.

Specifically, regarding the Support Staff Leave and Absences, instructional assistants in WCPS will be eligible to opt in to receive payment of unused sick leave. The eligibility requirements include: having a sick leave minimum balance of 31 days at the beginning of the school year; balance requirements of a minimum of 30 days after payout; a payout minimum of one day with a maximum of 10 days; and an opt-in form completed by August 31, according to the code change.

“Eligible instructional assistants will receive $50 per unused sick day at the end of the current school year in July,” said Lee, who clarified that the changes will be in effect for the next school year, not during the 2023-2024 school year.

Then, regarding Professional Staff Leave and Absences, sick leave payout will be available for: qualified classroom teachers in pre-K through 12th grade, special education teachers, ELL teachers, and athletic trainers, said Lee, adding that these listed qualified teachers are eligible to opt in to receive payment of unused sick leave.

Eligibility requirements, according to the code change, include: a sick leave minimum balance of 31 days at the start of the school year; balance requirements minimum 30 days after payout; payout minimum of one day and a max of 10 days; and a completed opt-in form by August 31.

Eligible qualified teachers will receive $100 per unused sick day at the end of the school year in July, said Lee, again clarifying that this is for the next school year.

Lee also provided payout leave examples. For instance, an instructional assistant would bring home $32.30 for one day leave paid; would bring home $161.50 for five days leave paid; and would bring home $323 for 10 days leave paid.

Meanwhile, teachers would bring home $64.60 for one day leave paid; $323 for five days leave paid; and $646 for 10 days leave paid.

On Wednesday the board also held a work session, which the Royal Examiner also covered in another story. The School Board’s next regular meeting will be held on June 5.

Video by Mark Williams, Royal Examiner.