Baker-Butler is the largest elementary school in Albemarle County. It has had five principals in eight years. The consequences are showing up in classrooms, in test scores, and in teachers who are leaving.
What teachers are saying
Teachers at Baker-Butler have reported that when behavioral incidents occur in classrooms, there is no administrative backup. Community members who have been inside the school this year confirm what teachers are describing: students who need redirection aren't getting it, and the students who came to learn are waiting it out.
A substitute teacher in a second-grade classroom this year described it directly: the students who were there to learn had their heads down on their desks.
“The staff is exhausted and feels unappreciated and unsupported. Our school’s reputation has suffered greatly as a result of the constant administrative switches the county has made.”
What the community did about it
Baker-Butler families and staff didn't wait to be asked. They built their own survey to define what the school needs in its next leader — because no formal mechanism required the district to ask them.
146 community members responded. 197 open-ended comments. The message was consistent: the next principal should be chosen with this community, not for it.
The Data
This isn't anecdote. The state tracks it.
Virginia's Department of Education publishes annual School Quality Profiles for every public school. Baker-Butler's data for 2024‑25 documents what the community already knew.
Academic performance
Writing proficiency: 65% in 2024‑25, down from 73% in 2023‑24. The division average held at 76%. The state average held at 76%. Baker-Butler is now 11 points below both.[1]
Math scores held stable and above both division and state averages during the same period. The divergence in writing tracks the principal transition window specifically.[1]
Research from the Brookings Institution links principal transitions to lower test scores and lower teacher retention — with effects lasting up to three years after each change.[2] Baker-Butler is on its third principal in three years. The school has essentially never had a recovery window between transitions.
Teacher retention
12.5% of Baker-Butler's teachers are first-year — nearly double the division average of 7% and more than double the state average of 5%.[1]
The Learning Policy Institute estimates the cost of replacing a single principal at $75,000 in preparation, hiring, and placement costs.[3] Baker-Butler has absorbed this cost five times in eight years.
When experienced teachers leave, the students who lose the most are the ones who depend on institutional knowledge: students with IEPs, students with behavioral needs, students whose teachers had learned them.
“The teachers are what has kept this school culture from completely falling apart. The only passion for these students comes from them.”
Special education
Baker-Butler has one of the largest special education populations in the county. IEPs are legal documents. They specify services — pre-opening school access, teacher familiarization, environmental preparation — that must be in place before the school year begins.
At least one Baker-Butler family reported at a public board meeting that pre-opening school access written into their child's IEP went unfulfilled for two consecutive years, including after a direct commitment from school leadership.[4]
A November 2025 Virginia General Assembly report found that SPED teacher retention is directly tied to administrative stability.[5] Three principals in three years does not produce that stability.
The hiring process
Virginia Code § 22.1‑293: the school board, upon recommendation of the superintendent, employs principals.[6] No board policy requires community participation in that process.
Virginia Code § 22.1‑78 authorizes the board to adopt regulations for the management of its official business.[7] It has not done so for principal hiring.
Fairfax County, Virginia — operating under the same legal structure — uses community stakeholder panels for principal interviews.[8] Prince George's County, Maryland mandates a panel that must include at least one SPED parent.[9] Baker-Butler families were offered a survey and a committee interest form — for a search made necessary by a decision that was never put to the community.
Community survey data · Spring 2026
The writing drop, the first-year teacher rate, the IEP fulfillment failure, the absence of community process — none of these are separate problems. They are the same problem at different stages: a school that has absorbed repeated leadership transitions without a recovery window, managed by a district that does not publicly report whether it is meeting its legal obligations to the most vulnerable students in the building.
References
- Virginia Department of Education — School Quality Profiles, Baker-Butler Elementary (2024‑2025). schoolquality.virginia.gov
- Brookings Institution — “The Cascading Effects of Principal Turnover on Students and Schools.” brookings.edu
- Learning Policy Institute — “Supporting a Strong, Stable Principal Workforce.” learningpolicyinstitute.org
- Baker-Butler parent testimony, ACPS School Board meeting, spring 2025.
- Virginia General Assembly — Recruiting and Retaining Special Education Teachers (RD759, November 2025). rga.lis.virginia.gov
- Code of Virginia § 22.1‑293. law.lis.virginia.gov
- Code of Virginia § 22.1‑78. law.lis.virginia.gov
- Fairfax County Public Schools — community involvement in principal selection. govdelivery.com
- Prince George's County Public Schools — Board Policy 4113. pgcps.org
Public Comment
These questions have not been answered.
Each of these is written to be read verbatim during public comment at a board meeting. Below each question set is a FOIA template for records not currently available to the public.
Academic outcomes and principal instability
- Baker-Butler's writing proficiency dropped 13 points in one year during the most recent principal transition, while math scores held steady. What specific interventions are in place to address this, and what is the measurable target for writing proficiency in 2025‑26?
- Research from the Brookings Institution shows that negative effects of principal transitions persist for up to three years. Baker-Butler has had three principals in three years. What is the division's specific plan to provide a recovery window — and how long will this next principal be expected to stay?
Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.), I request: (1) Baker-Butler's VDOE School Quality Profile data for 2022-23 through 2024-25, including all subject-area pass rates and teacher experience metrics. (2) Any internal academic intervention plans created in response to the 2024-25 writing proficiency decline. Please respond within five working days as required by Va. Code § 2.2-3704(B).
Special education service delivery
- At least one Baker-Butler family reported at a public board meeting that pre-opening school access written into their child's IEP went unfulfilled for two consecutive years, including after a direct commitment from leadership. What is the formal protocol for ensuring IEP transition supports are confirmed before the first day of school?
- What is the current SPED vacancy rate at Baker-Butler compared to the division average, and how many long-term substitutes are currently filling SPED positions at the school?
Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.), I request: (1) The number of SPED teachers, aides, and related-service providers at Baker-Butler at the start and end of each school year from 2022-23 through 2025-26. (2) The number of IEP service minutes missed or compensated at Baker-Butler for each of those years. (3) Any formal state complaints filed against ACPS related to Baker-Butler for those years. Please respond within five working days as required by Va. Code § 2.2-3704(B).
Principal hiring and community process
- Virginia Code § 22.1-78 gives this board the authority to adopt regulations for the management of its official business. Will the board commit tonight to drafting a policy requiring a school-specific advisory panel — including parents, teachers, and SPED family representation — for all future principal appointments at Baker-Butler?
- The community conducted its own survey to define what Baker-Butler needs in its next principal because no formal mechanism required you to ask them. Will the board commit to incorporating those survey findings into the current search criteria, and will those criteria be made public?
Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Va. Code § 2.2-3700 et seq.), I request: (1) For each of Baker-Butler's five principal appointments since 2017: the process timeline, number of applicants considered, stakeholder groups consulted, and school-specific priorities identified. (2) Any community input materials collected during the current principal search. Please respond within five working days as required by Va. Code § 2.2-3704(B).
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