ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — The Accomack County School Board voted to fire Superintendent Dr. Rhonda Hall in a special meeting on Wednesday night.
The 5-4 vote effectively ousted Hall after only being a year into her most recent position. Board Chair Janet Turner and Vice Chair Ed Taylor joined board members Jason Weippert, Stefanie Jackson and Glenn Neal in voting to remove Hall.
Hall is the first Black person and the first woman to take on the superintendent role in Accomack County.
Video of the vote shows a clear tension as well as disapproval coming from those who voted “no.”
“Once we have taken oath, we are to function as one and there is a huge division,” said board Dr. Lisa Cropper Johnson, who spoke to 10 On Your Side as an individual, and not on behalf of the board. “Some of it, in my opinion, is politically motivated. There is a huge division that is evidence of our votes on different topics.”
Hall had more than three decades of experience in Accomack County Public Schools. She served as assistant superintendent and interim superintendent before being hired as superintendent in 2023.
Johnson told 10 On Your Side that a fellow board member said that Hall’s firing came without “without cause.” The Shore Daily News reported the Virginia Department of Education criticized Dr. Hall for failing to cooperate with local law enforcement during a police investigation of a student’s alleged shooting threat. Hall, in a letter to the same newspaper, disputed that.
One educator in the school division, Dr. James Fedderman, wasn’t surprised by the move to fire Hall.
“I can’t say that I was surprised,” Fedderman said. “I was honestly disheartened. We were all made aware that there was a special school board meeting that was posted on social media and it started to be shared, and we started to kind of formulate what it was.”
Fedderman believes the board handled it the wrong way.
“As an educator, due process is one of the one of the biggest elements that we have to ensure that our voices are adequately heard,” Fedderman said. “So afford her with due process to know what she’s being accused of so that she can respond appropriately and accordingly.”
Hall, when reached by 10 On Your Side, said “I don’t want the reality of the board’s actions in any way to adversely impact the positive things which have and are happening in Accomack County Schools.”
Johnson wants to see the board get on track to serve its schools the best way possible.
“I’d like to see more unity because the focus with a school system is supposed to be on children — the children getting a stellar education, teachers and staff, as well as administrators, having a suitable respectful work environment,” Johnson said. “That’s what everyone’s entitled to too. That’s what I would like to see the focus get back on.”
The new school board was voted into office last November and has a Republican majority.
Hall’s last day with the school division is Friday.
The Accomack County School Board announced that, “in accordance with the requirement of Code of Virginia 15.2-1510.1, the Accomack County School Board announces Superintendent Rhonda Hall will receive a severance payment in the amount of $87,280.30.”
10 On Your Side is working to learn more about the firing. Check back for updates, including responses from both Hall and Turner.