Resident questions DEI positions and communications salaries during Winchester school board public comment
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Summary
Jeff Milburn of Ward 3 spoke during public comment alleging the district maintains DEI and communications positions with high base salaries and asked whether those funds should be reallocated to classroom positions; he also raised concerns about staff attendance at a site walkthrough and requested responses from the superintendent.
During the public-comment portion of the March 24 meeting, Jeff Milburn of Ward 3 addressed the board with questions about staffing priorities, salaries and district cooperation with city and university officials related to a Hanley baseball field matter.
Milburn asked whether Winchester Public Schools was following a federal mandate to eliminate DEI positions and questioned whether the district’s staffing levels justified dedicated public-information positions. He cited base salaries for two roles in fiscal year 2023: a coordinator of equity at $123,553 and a communications manager at $89,992, and asked whether those dollars would be better invested in additional teaching positions and a teaching assistant.
Milburn also raised a separate concern about a March 18 and earlier April 2023 exchange in which he alleged district leadership discouraged Hanley staff from attending his site walkthrough regarding a Shenandoah University (SU) ballfield matter. He told the board he had emails, text messages and recordings he said contradicted prior public statements that Hanley received benefits from coordination with city and university officials. He asked for a substantive reply from Superintendent Jason Van Heukelen and said he had not received a response to earlier emails.
Board members did not respond to the remarks during the public-comment period; the meeting chair read the district’s public‑comment rules beforehand. The transcript shows the board typically does not reply to public comment at the time of presentation. Milburn’s statements and requested documentation were recorded for the public record; the transcript does not show follow-up action or staff responses during the meeting.