Superintendent earns Power Partner recognition from Virginia PTA

Dr. Jeffery O. Smith, superintendent of Hampton City Schools, was presented with the Virginia PTA Power Partners award by state president Pamela Croom at the August 3, 2022, School Board meeting. He was selected for the Tidewater region for 2021-2022.

The purpose of the award is to recognize a school principal or division superintendent who has demonstrated that strong family to school partnerships are the key to student success through successful collaboration with the PTA, and creation of a school climate that values and welcomes volunteer and parent involvement for the benefit of student's academic success, health and well-being. 

Dr. Smith’s information reads as follows on the Virginia PTA website:

“Dr. Smith has been a champion of PTA and active family engagement since beginning his tenure with Hampton City Schools in 2015. Returning to in-person learning required a dedicated focus on student safety with a commitment to ensuring students’ mental health and academic needs were met. Dr. Smith wanted to ensure parents were involved every step of the way. He required all principals to identify parents to fill vacancies on their PTA units and challenged each school to an 80% membership goal. Dr. Smith firmly believes in the PTA mission to make every child's potential a reality through his school's division mission of ensuring academic excellence for every child, every day, whatever it takes.”