School board

City of Norfolk School Board

Ward 1

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The school board runs City of Norfolk's public schools, hires the superintendent and adopts the school budget.

Candidates Compare by issue

Joshua L. Howell

No party listed

Accreditation and compliance coordinator, Tidewater Community College

The gist

Proposes supporting students moved by school closures.
Supports classroom cell phone limits and AI literacy instruction.
Pledges transparency and accountability on the board.

More about Joshua

View sources (2)

Proposes supporting students moved by school closures.
Meet the candidates: Norfolk School Board
Candidate questionnaire · The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press (via Yahoo News) · Sep 21, 2026 · yahoo.com
“We must support every child through the transition, ensure educators and staff feel valued and respected”
Supports classroom cell phone limits and AI literacy instruction.
Meet the candidates: Norfolk School Board
Candidate questionnaire · The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press (via Yahoo News) · Sep 21, 2026 · yahoo.com
“clear expectations for cell phone use, teacher training, and instruction in digital citizenship and AI literacy”
Pledges transparency and accountability on the board.
Josh Howell, PhD, for Norfolk School Board
Campaign website · Friends of Josh Howell · howellfornorfolk.com
“He's running to bring transparency, accountability and more than two decades of experience in education to the work ahead.”

Adale M. Martin

No party listedIncumbent

Norfolk School Board member (Ward 1)

The gist

Pledges at least a 95% graduation rate.
Supports expanding security resources in schools.
Supports make-up sessions to address chronic absenteeism.
Supports multilingual communication during school consolidations.

More about Adale

View sources (2)

Pledges at least a 95% graduation rate.
Dr. Adale Martin for Norfolk School Board, Ward 1
Campaign website · Friends of Adale Martin · adalemartin.com
“I am committed to ensuring at least a 95% Graduation Rate for Norfolk Public School seniors”
Supports expanding security resources in schools.
Dr. Adale Martin for Norfolk School Board, Ward 1
Campaign website · Friends of Adale Martin · adalemartin.com
“Expand security resources and build a culture of trust across every NPS school.”
Supports make-up sessions to address chronic absenteeism.
Candidate Profile: Adale M. Martin (Norfolk School Board, Ward 1)
Candidate questionnaire · WAVY-TV 10 (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“That means we also have to fix chronic absenteeism head-on. Students simply cannot learn if they are not in the classroom.”
Supports multilingual communication during school consolidations.
Candidate Profile: Adale M. Martin (Norfolk School Board, Ward 1)
Candidate questionnaire · WAVY-TV 10 (via Yahoo News) · yahoo.com
“I am actively advocating for institutional clarity and enhanced multilingual communication.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 3 issues covered in this race.