BACK TO SCHOOL King George
An interview with superintendent Jesse Boyd, plus key dates and important links.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
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For Jesse Boyd, superintendent of King George County Schools, this time of year is “like Christmas.”
“I’m just getting excited, if you can’t tell,” he told the Advance during an interview this week. “We’re really just ready to kick off the year.”
The first day of school for all students is Wednesday, August 13, and the division is 99% fully staffed going into the 2025-26 school year, Boyd said. There are three new principals across the division—including the 2025 Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals’ Principal of the Year, Travis Burns, who comes to King George High School from Northumberland High School.
Division leadership also spent the summer taking “a deep dive into school safety” to ensure that students return to a secure enviroment.
“We took appreciation of many of the things that were going on around us, and we’ve implemented weapons detection systems at all of our schools,” Boyd said.
In addition, staff worked over the summer to refine the process for reporting instances of bullying.
“[We created] a flow of work and check boxes that have to be completed,” Board said. The work flow includes notice being given to both the victim and perpetrator of the bullying, he said, with the hope of preventing the situation from escalating and keeping the school environment “safe and nurturing” for everyone.
Also over the summer, the division commissioned a feasibility study on an underused building located between the existing middle and high school. The building used to house a vocational center, but it’s been out of commission in that capacity since 2009, Boyd said. It’s currently used for storage, some county parks and recreation programs, and the division’s student store, but the hope is that it can be returned to use as a vocational center.
“I personally haven’t run into anybody that has any issue with us bringing back more vocational opportunities for our students here in King George through that building,” Boyd said. “So we completed that study and presented it to the County Administrator. We hope that works its way into another option to relieve capacity on the secondary level.”
Also related to capacity is the referendum approved by county voters in November of 2024, which authorizes the county to issue a bond of up to $57 million to support construction of a new elementary school. Boyd said that “once the dust settles on the new school year,” he will begin conversations with the county Board of Supervisors about the division’s capacity needs.
“I will be heading to the Board of Supervisors to make sure they know where we stand in terms of enrollment versus capacity,” he said. “I’ll remind them, but I believe they do know, what the capacity for each of our buildings is right now.”
Boyd said the division appreciates having “constructive, open, and honest working relationships” with both the School Board and Board of Supervisors.
Key Dates
Transition Day (for kindergarten, 6th, and 9th grade students)—August 12
First Day of School—August 13
Thanksgiving Break—November 24-28
Winter Holiday—December 22-January 5
Spring Break—March 30-April 6
Last Day of School—May 21
Important websites
Back to School information (open house dates, school supply lists, link to newsletter and student-family handbook)
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
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