Two candidates are running for a Norfolk School Board seat up for special election amid a time of upheaval for the school system. The new member will join a seven-member board working to implement a school closure plan and choose a new superintendent following the surprise firing of Susan Byrdsong.

Jason Inge, who was appointed to the Ward 3 seat in February, faces a challenge from Jodi Slaughter.

Slaughter, 54, is employed as a Virginia Beach behavioral health worker. Inge, 37, is director of community investments at United Way of South Hampton Roads. Neither attended or have children in the school system, but Slaughter said she has worked with hundreds of Norfolk Public Schools students as part of her job.

The winner will serve through 2026. The special election fills the remainder of the term left open when member Carlos Clanton was elected to City Council. Early voting is underway and Election Day is Nov. 4.

While a decision about a school closure plan is expected to be made before the election, the winner will join the board as the plan is carried out. Board members are scheduled to vote Wednesday on a plan to close nine school buildings and repurpose at least four more after weeks of public input, delays and shuffling of alternate plans.

In an interview, Inge said the school board had taken great strides since Norfolk City Council directed the body in March to create a plan to close 10 schools. He said the community had been able to provide input on the process and he believes the school district’s facilities and planning committee, which is helping advise the closure plans, is working.

Inge and board member Tanya Bhasin created a draft plan for school closures that was abandoned by the board. The plan did not include closure dates for several schools until completion of a planned redistricting process to redraw attendance zones. Inge defended the plan, saying it was based on the concepts of promoting equity for underserved students and deconcentrating poverty.

However, some community members have criticized the late-minute nature of the plan, and Mayor Kenny Alexander expressed frustration that it did not include input from the consultant hired to help plan out the closure process.

Slaughter, too, criticized the plan, saying it was out of the scope of what school board members were tasked with. She said the eventual plan should involve the consultant, research and community engagement.

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Another issue where the candidates differ is in their support of former Superintendent Susan Byrdsong, who was fired in June. A faction of school board members, including Inge, voted 4-3 to oust Byrdsong after the superintendent accused them of undermining her administration and micromanaging the school system.

Inge defended his decision to vote for Byrdsong’s firing, saying that under her tenure, test scores were some of the lowest in the state and other student achievement measures fell. Norfolk students improved some Standards of Learning test pass rates in the 2023-24 school year compared with the previous year, but the school system’s rates are still well behind the state average and nearby districts such as Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.

“A realignment of district performance and academic priorities was needed,” Inge said.

Slaughter said she never had any negative interactions with Byrdsong, but did not directly answer whether firing her was the correct decision. Slaughter said the school board instead should have chosen to not renew Byrdsong’s contract and let it expire in mid-2026, rather than paying her severance. Byrdsong’s severance is an amount equal to the previous 12 months base pay of $242,282, deferred compensation, and the costs of her health, dental and vision insurance.

As for what she wants to see in a new superintendent, Slaughter said a viable candidate should be a transformational leader, a visionary and someone who communicates honestly and openly.

“As a chief educational and executive officer, they need to bring people together for one goal and the common good,” Slaughter said.

Inge said he wants many of the same qualities in a new superintendent: a bold, visionary leader who was transparent and engaged with the community. He also wants a leader who understands the politics and culture of the community and school system.

The election also comes as Norfolk is bankrolling a $211 million rebuild of Maury High School. One contentious issue is the fate of Ghent School, which has pitted parents of students, who say they love the current location, against boosters of Maury High School, who want to see the location demolished and turned into a football stadium and other athletics facilities. Granby High School also does not have full on-site athletics facilities and shares them with Old Dominion University.

Inge said he would like to see the successful Ghent School program relocated and moved into a building where the program could expand and add more students. He also supported the stadium idea, if it was financially possible.

Slaughter said both academics and athletics are important for students, and said that it would be a hard decision for the school board. She said Maury student athletes should have full facilities, but did not give a definitive answer on the proposed plan, saying she needed to learn more.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/10/15/superintendent-search-discussion/