Fowler, member of House of Delegates, looks for School Board seat in Virginia Beach

State Del. Kelly Fowler, D-96th District [Courtesy picture] BY JOHN-HENRY DOUCETTE

COURTHOUSE-- State Del. Kelly Fowler is going to join the Virginia Beach School Board.

Fowler filed documentation to look for the local workplace quickly before the filing due date on Tuesday, June 18, though local election authorities have not yet identified whether she has qualified for the tally.

Fowler, D-96th House District, hopes to join Rose Dwyer in difficult incumbent Jennifer Franklin to represent the District 1 seat on the board. Franklin, the vice chairperson of the School Board, was elected in 2020 to the former Kempsville District seat on the School Board.

Fowler, a previous teacher who now works as a realty broker, informed The Independent News she wants to remain in public service but be more associated with the local community.

" I understand right now our School Board remains in need," Fowler stated. "Our schools remain in requirement. Our instructional system remains in need."

She said her experience in the classroom and as a parent, integrated with government service, will benefit Virginia Beach schools.

" We require leaders who know the education system and want to take the politics out of our School Board," Fowler included.

She said she prepares to remain in the General Assembly while she seeks regional office in Virginia Beach and would leave your home of Delegates if chosen to the School Board.

" If the voters decide they desire me to serve on School Board, I would resign from my seat," Fowler said.

Fowler was chosen in 2017 to the General Assembly in the former House District 21 seat and won reelection in 2019 and 2021. This past November, she was elected to the brand-new House District 96 seat following redistricting.

School Board Member Jennifer Franklin [Courtesy photo]" I think that it's disappointing that a present sitting delegate has an interest in doing something far from the position she was elected to," Franklin said throughout an interview, keeping in mind Fowler must resign from the legislature if she is severe about the School Board race.

Franklin is a mortgage banker who is a retired from military service on active service and as a reservist and has offered for more than two decades with parent-teacher organizations in Virginia Beach.

" I seem like I've done a lot to bring a great working relationship to the board," Franklin said.

Dwyer said she is not concerned another candidate is in the race.

" I'm not stressed over a thing," she said. "I have confidence in who I am and why I'm running. I'm not a political leader. I'm all about those kids. That's my enthusiasm-- the kids and the future."

Dwyer, who works in retail, stated she has actually offered extensively, consisting of dealing with parent-teacher organizations, and she formerly was a selected member of the School Board in Southampton County.

Virginia Beach Local District 1 [Charles Apple/The Princess Anne Independent News]
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