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The Suffolk Public School Board officially adopted the 2025-2026 budget in a 6-1 vote during the May 8 meeting with no discussion. The budget totals $243,413,773, including $81,191,901 of city funding. 

Board member DawnMarie Brittingham E.d. D., was the only dissenting vote. She was also the only one opposed when the Board first approved the budget proposal on March 27.

During the meeting, Board members were reminded that the proposed amendments to the current transgender policy will be on the agenda as an action item at the next meeting on May 22.  

The amendments were first brought to the Board at the April 10 meeting and no Board discussion has happened since then. 

During the May 8 meeting, two public speakers spoke in favor of the proposed changes. 

Shirley Taylor Weaver said she’s a current registered nurse and spent over 30 years with SPS as a school nurse. She stated gender is not fluid, the sex you are born with is the gender you will remain, and there is no mention of any other gender in the Bible. 

Suffolk citizen Amber Snodgrass said the “changes will bring our schools back to a foundation that’s grounded in objective reality.”

Nobody against the proposed changes spoke at the meeting, but they have expressed opinions on social media.

On April 20, Vice Chair Sean McGee posted a comparison chart of the current transgender policy and the proposed policy on Facebook.

Reinee Goetsch is an SPS teacher and wrote she “100%” supports the transgender community and thinks their “rights to feel safe are being overlooked.”  

“I feel there needs to be more discussion on protecting everyone, not just the majority,” she wrote. “I see this very similar to how we used to view children with disabilities … Everyone was concerned about the majority, and not the minority, but everyone deserves to be safe and accepted.”

Jerri Collins, a Suffolk resident and parent who emailed the Suffolk News-Herald with concerns pertaining to the proposed policy changes, says the removal of anti-bullying phrases is “infuriating” and is “opening any transgender child up to harassment from any individual while they’re in school.”

“These proposed changes are NOT in line with what Suffolk Public Schools main vision is – which taken from their website: Strive for excellence in education, celebrate diversity, and be committed to students, staff, and the school community,” she continued. “This is about giving control to parents and even non-parent community members who want the public school system to ‘weed out’ the children that don’t adhere to their own personal beliefs and values.”

During the most recent Board meeting, McGee added a discussion about school bank days to the agenda. Based on teacher feedback, he is requesting the last day of school be changed to a teacher work day — if all testing is complete and there is at least one bank day left — making June 5 the last day of school for students.

Brittingham agrees with this proposal stating, “We need to keep our teachers and our students as the focal point of what we do … I affirm what Vice Chair McGee has brought forth. I think this is something the board should consider, meditate on, and potentially bring this as an action item at our next meeting.”

Superintendent Dr. John B. Gordon III cautioned the Board about implementing this idea because it’s risky to have no buffer room when tallying up instructional hours at the end of the year. He recommended that the Board not implement it. 

He also mentioned child care needs to be taken into consideration, and because June 6 is a Friday, he said he’s worried about teacher and staff attendance. 

“Literally every moment counts for some of our kids,” Gordon said. “Like, every moment. And I agree, I understand the sentiment … I definitely get it where we want to be able to show our teachers that we’re appreciating them by potentially converting this to a teacher work day.”