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School board

Virginia Beach School Board

District 2

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

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

CandidatesCompare by issue
Photo of Zachery C. Taylor
Zachery C. TaylorCandidate-submitted photo — Cardinal News voter guide

Zachery C. Taylor

No party listed

Former Navy surface warfare officer; MBA student

The gist

  • Supports limits on classroom screen use.
  • Pledges to follow research on technology's effects on learning.
More about Zachery
View sources (1)

  1. Supports limits on classroom screen use.

    How to vote in Virginia Beach: candidate questionnaire (Cardinal News, via ElectUp)

    Candidate questionnaire · Cardinal News · app.electup.com

    “Technology has a place in education, and students should learn to use it responsibly, but limits matter.”

  2. Pledges to follow research on technology's effects on learning.

    How to vote in Virginia Beach: candidate questionnaire (Cardinal News, via ElectUp)

    Candidate questionnaire · Cardinal News · app.electup.com

    “I will follow the evidence and ensure technology enhances learning rather than harms it.”
Photo of James C. "Chris" Lewis
James C. "Chris" LewisCandidate-submitted photo — Cardinal News voter guide

James C. "Chris" Lewis

No party listed

Retired educator

The gist

  • Proposes making starting teacher pay a separate budget line.
  • Supports mentoring and protected planning time for teachers.
  • Proposes yearly public benchmarks of teacher pay against neighbors.
  • Supports expanding career and technical education programs.
More about James
View sources (1)

  1. Proposes making starting teacher pay a separate budget line.

    How to vote in Virginia Beach: candidate questionnaire (Cardinal News, via ElectUp)

    Candidate questionnaire · Cardinal News · app.electup.com

    “make starting teacher pay a named, standalone line in the budget conversation each year”

  2. Supports mentoring and protected planning time for teachers.

    How to vote in Virginia Beach: candidate questionnaire (Cardinal News, via ElectUp)

    Candidate questionnaire · Cardinal News · app.electup.com

    “mentorship pairing for new teachers, protecting planning time, and giving teachers real autonomy and confidence in their classroom decisions.”

  3. Proposes yearly public benchmarks of teacher pay against neighbors.

    How to vote in Virginia Beach: candidate questionnaire (Cardinal News, via ElectUp)

    Candidate questionnaire · Cardinal News · app.electup.com

    “hold ourselves accountable with a clear year-over-year benchmark against the other Seven Cities divisions”

  4. Supports expanding career and technical education programs.

    How to vote in Virginia Beach: candidate questionnaire (Cardinal News, via ElectUp)

    Candidate questionnaire · Cardinal News · app.electup.com

    “Virginia Beach is already doing this well. My job on the board is to protect it, invest in it”

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.