Fredericksburg City Public Schools

“Once we have a new chief financial officer in place, I’m assured that we will have conversations about implementing those recommendations, or discussing potential implementation,” School Board Chair Katie Pomeroy said after the board received the final travel review, the Fredericksburg Free Press reports.

Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates reviewed board travel from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. The final report says Ward 4 member Malvina Kay used a purchase card not issued in her name once, and former at-large member Jarvis Bailey did so 27 times. It tells the division to issue cards in members’ names and require an authorized-user agreement, plus detailed receipts and no personal charges. For Kay’s April 2025 National School Boards Association conference in Atlanta, the report puts the division’s cost at $4,238.24, reduced by $410.41, for a net of $3,827.83. That trip included first-class and premium-economy airfare. The paper said the board voted unanimously Monday on updated norms and protocols, not on the travel recommendations.

Fredericksburg City Schools has met Virginia’s special education requirements for the third consecutive year, but recently released Standards of Learning scores show the division still trails neighboring jurisdictions in every subject and that students with disabilities continue to post substantially lower pass rates.

Director of Student Services Maris Wyatt presented the Virginia Department of Education’s local determination at the School Board’s regular meeting on Oct. 5. The determination, which lags one year behind the reporting period, rates divisions as Meets Requirements, Needs Assistance, Needs Intervention, or Needs Substantial Intervention based on a mix of compliance and student outcome indicators.

The Fredericksburg City School Board on Monday appointed Dr. Stan Jones to fill the vacant at-large seat, with the longtime educator and nonprofit leader sworn in during a special meeting.Jones, CEO of Action in Community Through Service (ACTS) in Prince William County, will serve as an interim member through the end of 2026. Voters will elect a permanent representative in November to complete the remainder of the term left open by Jarvis Bailey’s resignation, which runs through December 2027.

The appointment followed a competitive process. According to reporting by the Fredericksburg Free Press, Jones was one of five applicants who interviewed with the board. The others were Justin Carter, Beth Flanagan, Jacob Parcell, and Anthony Watkins. The Free Press reported that correspondence sent to board members showed Jones was the only candidate to draw written public support from residents, with 15 people urging his appointment. Read the Free Press report here.

The City of Fredericksburg’s FY 2027 budget includes a $1 million transfer from the Fredericksburg City Public Schools operating fund balance to the city’s operating fund.

The transfer was detailed during a budget work session and second reading ahead of final approval on May 12, 2026. Deputy City Manager Mark Whitley noted that city and school staff, along with Vice Mayor Charlie L. Frye, Jr. and Council Member Jannan W. Holmes, met regarding the move. Whitley described it as “a good option” that allows the schools to accomplish their goals.

“The travel audit is still in process,” division superintendent Marci Catlett told the Advance. “During the course of our audit, we noted School Board travel expenditures which did not fall within the school division travel guidelines. We have been engaged to perform a detailed review of School Board travel.”

A special audit of Fredericksburg City Public Schools Board travel expenses, originally due by the end of December 2025, remains unfinished amid staffing changes in the Central Office. Emails and documents show the comment regarding travel in the general fiscal year 2025 audit was edited after pushback from a School Board member, with language about purchase card use and policy recommendations removed from the final management letter.