Superintendent's Message
Welcome Fellow Educators:
Everyday is a "day at the beach" when you are a part of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. We offer our nearly 70,000 students a world-class education including gifted and academy programs, special education services, and state of the art technology coupled with myriad extracurricular and sports activities. As a result, Virginia Beach has earned a reputation as an innovative and forward-thinking school district not only in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but nationally as well.
These are exciting times for everyone involved in public education, whether you are a veteran teacher looking for new opportunities or completely new to the profession. That is particularly true in Virginia Beach as we redefine the division's vision through our new strategic plan – Compass to 2015: a Strategic Plan for Student Success. We understand that if this school division is to maintain preeminence, it is imperative that we incorporate 21st century skills such as critical and creative thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration into our curricula.
This school division has embarked on an ambitious plan indeed to ensure our students acquire the skills they need to "thrive as 21st century learners, workers and citizens." To realize our goal we must employ and maintain a workforce of highly qualified and dedicated teachers and administrators. If you are a committed professional who will enjoy working in a stimulating and supportive educational environment, I encourage you to consider joining Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
This packet will provide you a wealth of information about the numerous programs and services available to our students as well as the resources and opportunities for professional development offered to our teachers. The school division Web site, vbschools.com, is also a comprehensive source of information.
Again, I appreciate your interest in this school division and sincerely thank you for choosing teaching as your profession. My best wishes to you for a successful and rewarding career.
Sincerely,
James G. Merrill
Superintendent