Reflection Paper: Public Leader Assignment
I will be discussing my experience attending the school board meeting for Orange County
Public Schools. In discussing my experience, I will also be providing information about how
leadership was exercised. In addition, I will be explaining who the community is and how it
influenced community engagement, my biblical perspective, as well as the relevance of this
week's readings.
The Meeting in Brief
The school board meeting took place at the Taylor Education Administration Complex,
located in Orange County, Virginia on June 2, 2025. The meeting began at 5:30 but was
considered a closed meeting and was not open to the public. The meeting became open to the
public beginning at 6:30 pm and adjourned at 8:30 pm. At the meeting was Melissa Anderson
who is the board chair member of District 1, Darlene Dawson who is vice chair of District 2,
Jack Rickett with District 3, District 4 is currently vacant, and Sandy Harrington of District 5
(Anderson et al., 2024). In addition to the district leaders was the superintendent of Orange
County Public Schools, Dr. Daniel Hornick. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the
school board meeting. The meeting was scheduled as part of the monthly meetings the school
board has, which fall every first Monday of each month.
Main Points and Input
When I first walked into the room, some of the staff welcomed me. I felt that was mostly
due to me asking if the meeting would be taking place inside a room I was unfamiliar with. The
board member from District 3 greeted me as well. There were very few community members
who did not work for Orange County Public Schools. Only one person had previously registered
to speak publicly. I was expecting there to be many more community members at the meeting. I
felt that there should have been more community members involved because the issues discussed
in the meeting are very important as they pertain to students. The lady who spoke publicly
discussed how she did not agree with the county in spending educational money to support the
organization SBMA. I believe it was an important and serious topic to discuss, especially
because it pertained to how the county is spending its money. There was also an argument about
the SBMA being affiliated with some type of political party. All the board members showed
respect. However, none of the leaders showed initiative or appreciation for the public comment. I
am not sure if these school board meetings allow public speaking only to listen and not engage.
Thomas states, “When providing public comment periods, public managers should solicit
information from all who might be interested and should consider additional opportunities for
public involvement if the comments reveal extensive disagreement” (Thomas, 2012, pg. 213).
The leaders gave recognition to different staff from Orange County Public Schools and
community members of Orange County. I believe this is a good gesture by the board members.
According to Clerkin, “Leaders must display sensitivity to their people’s needs, and emotional
intelligence is closely linked to leadership effectiveness” (Clerkin, 2025). Demonstrating
appreciation and empathy are important characteristics for leaders.
Other important key points during the meeting were the overview of next year's school
calendar, an overview of finances and operating bills, reports on programs, Chromebook contract
renewals, new implementation of the security system, policy revisions, field trip funding, and
exchange student program additions. Here I felt that all the leaders present exercised the
characteristics of foresight and commitment to the growth of people. Many of the staff members,
like the leader of the IT department and the leader of the foreign exchange program, suggested
some accommodations. For example, the IT department leader suggested the implementation of a
costly but reliable new security system. After watching a video and being given detailed
information, all the members thanked Mr. Sarver who proposed the new system named Cintix
and approved moving forward with it. I believe the board members are putting the safety of
students above everything. They showed their support and commitment to the growth of the IT
department as well as the school system. Throughout all the proposals, the school board
members asked relevant and important questions, exercising the characteristic of foresight.
Proposals
One of the first proposals to the leaders of Orange County Public Schools is to better
exercise their leadership roles. I was looking forward to the public comment time during the
meeting because I thought there would be more interaction. I thought that after the public
comments, the leaders would try and give a promising solution or at least provide assurance to
the community member who spoke that they would investigate it further, perhaps at another
meeting. The leaders need to develop strategies in which there can be better deliberation.
According to Stuart, “Deliberation is when there is sufficient and credible information for
dialogue, choice, and decisions, and when there is space to weigh options, develop common
understandings and to appreciate respective roles and responsibilities” (Stuart, 2019).
I would suggest that the leaders of Orange County Public Schools better practice the
principle of building communities. The members of the town of Orange are considered a
community. The school board members need to have better engagement and communication
with their community. “This type of relationship-building between members of the community
builds trust and moves the organization forward at the same pace” (VanBenschoten, 2025).
Relevant Topics
This week's readings sharpened my thoughts even more, regarding the topics of
leadership and community engagement. Leaders need to be involved with their community and
the community will look different for each leader. I believe the school board members shared a
lot of trust with their staff. Noble states, “When we learn to trust the people who serve with us,
our vision has the potential to grow beyond us” (Noble, 2016, pg. 141). There was an issue
discussed at the meeting dealing with a policy that needs to be implemented, according to the
superintendent. The superintendent suggested moving forward as soon as possible but the chair
members were not comfortable until the policy was revised. Vice-chair board member from
District 2, Darlene Dawson told the superintendent that there is no lack of trust in him or his
administrative team but rather a frustration with the legislature.
Conclusion
There are so many principles that make up the concept of servant leadership. Many
leaders lead just to lead and forget the real meaning of a leader. Leaders need to lead with their
heart and with love, while also incorporating other important characteristics that make up servant
leadership. John 13:1-17 serves as an example of serving one another, the way Jesus served his
disciples. Jesus showed humility and service and wanted everyone to follow in his footsteps
(New International Bible, 1978/2011).
References
Anderson, M., Dawson, D., Rickett, J., & Harrington, S. (2024). Orange County School Board
meeting details. In Orange County School Board.
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1745356841/ocssvaorg/bx5uamkrun7aicsopwvh/2
024-25_SchoolBoardMeetingCalendar_Approved6324.pdf
Clerkin, C. (2025, May 8). How to show more gratitude at work: Giving thanks makes you a
better leader. CCL. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/giving-
thanks-will-make-you-a-better-leader/
New International Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible. https://www.thenivbible.com/ (Original work
published 1978)
Noble, Perry. The Most Excellent Way to Lead : Discover the Heart of Great Leadership,
Tyndale House Publishers, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=5395453.
Stuart, V. a. P. B. G. (2019, April 1). Definitions of community engagement. Sustaining
Community. https://sustainingcommunity.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/what-is-
community-engagement/
Thomas, John Clayton. Citizen, Customer, Partner : Engaging the Public in Public
Management, Taylor & Francis Group, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central,
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=1900143.
VanBenschoten, B. (2025, April 14). What is Servant Leadership? The National Society of
Leadership and Success. Retrieved June 10, 2025, from https://www.nsls.org/blog/what-
is-servant-leadership-and-how-to-apply-it
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