Tag: simmons

Four years ago, political newcomer Timothy Simmons narrowly defeated incumbent John Ocheltree by 144 votes in the race for the Pastures District seat on the Augusta County School Board.

Those two are squaring off again this year for the same seat, only this time Simmons is the incumbent. And, unlike four years ago, it’s only a two-person race. In 2021, Nick Astarb pulled in 573 of the 4,001 votes cast. There were also 50 write-in votes that year. Without a third person, the race between Simmons and Ocheltree could be even tighter this time.

In 2021, after losing, Ocheltree said he was about 50-50 that he’d run again in four years.

“I enjoy the school board,” he said. “I just love to see children excel from preschool all the way through high school. Having a wife as a teacher, I appreciate teachers. I know the frustrations they go through. I think they need to be appreciated and compensated.”

Within the last year, Ocheltree said he was approached by community members, school board members, administration and even some students asking him to run again this year. That got him from 50-50 to 100%.

“A lot of that had to do with not seeing their school board member,” Ocheltree said of his opponent. “They knew that when I was there for 12 years I was hanging out, I was around, even though I had a career and a private practice in medicine I was still there. I took the time to be there for the things that are important for the kids.”

Simmons ran on a platform of parental rights in 2021, an issue that Glenn Youngkin also used to help get elected as Virginia’s governor. He feels he’s lived up to his promises to help give families a voice in the school division.

“During my time on the board, I’ve helped mediate countless situations between parents and grandparents and the schools to ensure parental rights are upheld while also meeting the school’s obligation to educate our children,” Simmons said.

It’s still an important issue for him as he runs for a second term.

“To me, parental rights mean parents are informed, their voices are respected, and, when needed, they have the ability to request alternatives for their child,” he said. “This is not about parents versus teachers. It’s about communication and partnership. Families have different beliefs and values, and schools must work with parents while meeting their own obligations.”

Both candidates say they will support the new superintendent, Kelly Troxell, when she takes the position in January, 2026. Troxell was approved in a 4-3 vote in May. One of the three votes against her came from Simmons, but when asked if he would support her, the Pastures District representative said he would.

“The new superintendent has my support,” he said. “Support from me does not mean I will rubber stamp her decisions or recommendations. My critics seem to view challenges or opposition as not being supportive and that’s simply not true. When our superintendent is successful, we’re all successful. With that, support also means holding people accountable and challenging the status quo to achieve excellence.”

Ocheltree said if elected he will also support Troxell.

“I wasn’t there to see who may have been running against her for that opportunity,” Ocheltree said. “I didn’t make that decision, but I’ve seen Dr. Troxell rise up through the system. Every job she’s had within the division she’s done a great job at. I fully support her and feel like she’ll do a good job.”

Timothy Simmons

Simmons is a native of Augusta County and a law enforcement supervisor. He lives in Churchville with his wife and young son. He has been a bit of a lightning rod on the school board, not afraid to question administration or fellow board members about things with which he doesn’t agree. He’s drawn both praise and criticism for his approach the last four years.

During the August school board meeting, Simmons was one of three members to abstain from a vote on four administrators. At the time he said his reason wasn’t something he could share publicly. Simmons did receive some criticism from the public for the decision at the September school board meeting.

Simmons told The News Leader that abstaining from a vote is an option under Robert’s Rules of Order and it simply meant he wasn’t taking a position on the decision one way or the other. He said he was not required to give a reason, and felt like the board chair, David Shiflett, was out of order for asking him to give a reason.

“No one has a right to compel a member to state why they abstained,” he said.

However, Simmons said he did agree the night of his vote to give a reason in closed session, but he said the closed session was for another issue and he didn’t feel it appropriate to talk about his vote.

“As I reflected later on what I had said publicly, it occurred to me — by the level of badgering I was receiving from the board chair, his intent was not coming from a place of interest in knowing my point of view but rather coming from a place of wanting to attack me,” Simmons said. “That was evident in public but it became even more evident later. Based on that, I changed my mind, which is something we’re all entitled to do.”

Simmons has questioned administration about providing more information on staff hiriings before asking the board to approve those hires. The information the board receives, according to Simmons, is the same thing the public hears the night of the vote — a brief summary of the person’s qualifications.

“Information such as who applied for the position and the number of qualified candidates, along with their background information, as well as who was on the interview panel and what questions were asked would all be helpful information,” Simmons said.

He would also like time to discuss the decision with the other board members, something that would have to take place in closed session.

Simmons has also asked for exit interview data, saying the board can’t fix retention problems without knowing why staff is leaving. That request, he said, was denied.

“If I remain on the board, transparency within the promotional process will continue to be an area that I push for,” Simmons said. “I’d like to revamp the promotional process completely so that promotional decisions are based on objective factors and merit rather than being subjective.”

Asked what the major issues facing Augusta County Schools will be over the next four years, Simmons said academic achievement; recruitment and retention of teachers, staff and bus drivers; school safety; artificial intelligence; and special education.

“More students are entering schools with complex needs, and teachers and the parents of these students both feel the strain,” Simmons said. “We need a comprehensive plan that provides resources to both sides.”

Although the school board hasn’t discussed the issue officially, there is concern among some that Craigsville Elementary may close because of low numbers. Simmons is strongly opposed to that happening, but said he wants to be clear that a lot of the concern came from rumors, not reality.

“I will never vote to close Craigsville Elementary,” he said. “Craigsville is a very remote community on the western side of Augusta County that is self-sufficient. Much like a volunteer fire department, a school is the heart of a small community so Craigsville Elementary is more than just a school – it embodies that community. To close the school would have devastating effects on the Craigsville community and for those reasons, I would continue to advocate fiercely for it to remain open.”

Simmons said he thinks the school division is doing well in many areas, but no one should ever be satisifed.

“Our students, teachers, staff and families deserve excellence,” he said. “It is the school board’s job — our responsibility even — to fight for high standards, accountability, and a culture of excellence in our schools and I continue to be committed to that goal if reelected.”

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John Ocheltree

Ocheltree is a podiatrist with his practice based in Staunton. He grew up in the Staunton area, graduating from Robert E. Lee High School (now Staunton High School) but spent a lot of his youth on his grandparents’ farm in Swoope.

“I went away for a while for school, hit some big cities, and realized Staunton and Augusta County wasn’t as boring as I thought it was,” he said.

Ocheltree won his first term on the board in November 2007 and won re-election in 2011, 2015 and 2017, all without challengers. The 2021 election was the first time he faced any opposition.

After being off the board for four years, he decided to run again.

“I’m a big believer in giving back to the community,” Ocheltree said. “That was inspired to me by my parents and grandparents, growing up with different things I saw them do.”

Ocheltree doesn’t like to consider himself political. He calls himself “just a community member like anybody else.” Politics, however, has become a bigger part of school board elections across the country with the typically non-partisan races becoming more and more divided with national issues like transgender rights, critical race theory and book bans entering the discussion. All of those topics have come up at school board meetings in Augusta County in the last eight years.

Ocheltree doesn’t like politics becoming interwoven with schools.

“It shouldn’t be a thing in our children’s education,” he said. “It shouldn’t be.”

He said the way you get back to a less political school board is by electing someone like him, who he said is there for the kids and teachers and administration.

“Not so much for a political gain or a self-serving agenda,” Ocheltree said.

Ocheltree’s wife is a retired Augusta County teacher who is now teaching at a small private school in Staunton, Anna’s House School. Having that connection, Ocheltree believes, helps him understand the issues teachers face better.

Ocheltree is planning to retire from his medical practice in a couple of years, saying he will be even more accessible to the school board if he is elected.

“Engaged” and “accessible” are two words that describe Ocheltree’s campaign. He will be both, he said, if elected.

Ocheltree believes that parents have a line of communication with the schools. Parental rights is important, but he doesn’t think Augusta County restricts those rights.

“Every administrator I know in the county that is a principal in the school or a vice-principal welcomes parents to come in and talk with them about any issue they have,” he said. “I don’t think they’re hands off with the parents. The opportunity is there, you’ve just got to take advantage of it.”

When it comes to hiring staff, Ocheltree said he has full confidence in the superintendent and the central office staff to make selections.

“There’s this term that floats around about the old boy system,” Ocheltree said. “I’m not like that, but I feel confident in our adminitrators making those promotions and putting people in place.”

Ocheltree loves the Pastures District. He said it’s a very conservative area, and he considers himself conservative. He has lived in his current location for 24 years.

“I just love the people out there,” Ocheltree said. “I feel strongly about representing them properly. The Pastures Distirct is the biggest area in Augusta County geographically with the smallest population. That’s why I call it a big secret.”

He was on the board during the planning of the two new middle schools, including the one in Buffalo Gap. He likes that the school divison considered travel time for families with building a middle school next to the high school. Before families had to travel almost to Staunton to Beverley Manor Middle School.

“It saves everybody a lot of time and gives more instructional time,” he said. “I think it’s just a great educational opportunity out in that part of the county.”

Like his opponent, Ocheltree feels strongly about keeping Craigsville Elementary School open if the issue of closing it ever came up on the board.

“Craigsville Elementary is a big thing in the community out there,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes on there. The parents and grandparents feel very strongly about keeping that school open. I can say that I would hang off the edge of a cliff to keep that school open and there’s no ‘but’ about it.”

The News Leader and Victory Worship Center will be hosting a candidate forum for school board members Sept. 25 at the Augusta County Government Center. Only Ocheltree has agreed to participate from the Pastures District. Simmons declined the invitation.

The general election is Nov. 4 and early voting is already underway. The deadline to register to vote or update existing registration is Oct. 14. To register, complete and submit a Virginia Voter Registration Application. Applications may be obtained and submitted at the local voter registration office, or through online application submission through the Virginia Department of Elections.

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Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Simmons, Ocheltree face off for Pastures District school board seat