There were substantive violations of Virginia Code 22.1-60 by past school board chair Dawn Shelley when she signed an illegal contract with prior Superintendent Scott Baker. This illegal contract occurred during the 2021 lame duck session and without the required 30 days’ advanced notice. Below is a screenshot of the illegal contract signed on 12/13/2021 by Shelley. Our 1/13/2022 article explains why this is an illegal contract – https://spotsywire.com/2022/01/13/bakers-separation-agreement-is-an-illegal-contract/

We are calling on the community to hold Shelley accountable for these illegal actions by contacting the Commonwealth’s attorney. The contact information below can be found on the following website – https://www.spotsylvania.va.us/781/Commonwealths-Attorney

Emails: commattygrp@spotsylvania.va.us, tbird@spotsylvania.va.us,

Phone: 540-507-7650

Virginia code 22.1-60-C clearly states that “No school board shall renegotiate a superintendent’s contract during the period following the election or appointment of new members and the date such members are qualified and assume office”. A contract is an agreement between two parties regardless of the label of the legal instrument. The label “separation agreement” is a contract.

Virginia code 22.1-60-D states “Whenever a superintendent’s contract is being renegotiated, all members of the school board shall be notified at least 30 days in advance of any meeting at which a vote is planned on the renegotiated contract…..”

Not only does Shelley’s action appear to break the law, but more importantly the leftist majority school board in 2021 created deception by misleading parents, staff, students, and the entire community on this contract. This caused confusion and smoke screens for Shelley’s subsequent irrational behavior.