By LJ McCoy
The one-time Carver Middle School assistant principal, Dr. James Lane, recently gave his first public address since being sworn in as the new Chesterfield County School Superintendent to church members attending a men’s fellowship event at the Chester Methodist Church.
“I want to learn from the community, what they want from the schools,” he said during the meeting.
Accompanying Dr. Lane at the men’s fellowship event was School Board Vice Chair Carrie Coyner. In her brief comments, she emphasized the need to build partnerships in order to be proactive in strengthening community relations. The vice chair also took the opportunity to detail the county’s successful reading program and the system of Little Libraries.
As the former Middlesex school superintendent addressed the audience, that included members from the Second Baptist Church, Lane spoke on maximizing the potential of every student. Relaying stories of struggling students who had made great strides in his last school district, he said he has plans to propose additional college-level courses and credits for junior and senior students in the county. Finally, he took questions on topics from how the college classifications would be determined to controlling school bus discipline.
The new superintendent will have challenges to encounter, but as he continues to canvas the community, the relationships he hopes to build with the entire county will be his greatest asset.
