If you’ve ever bought a home you know that one of the most important questions you ask before signing on the bottom line is, “What are the schools like?”
As all Realtors across Hampton Roads know very well, the quality of the school system that will serve a child is often a deciding factor when a family decides to buy a home.
Recently during its Government Affairs Forum, the Hampton Roads Realtors Association hosted four of the five school superintendents from districts in South Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Suffolk, with the superintendent of Portsmouth Public Schools unable to attend because of a prior engagement).
Victoria Hecht, communications and public relations specialist with HRRA, said schools and their locations to homes are intrinsically linked, pointing to a 2013 National Association of Realtors Survey that found schools played a major role in homebuying decisions.
“Because the Hampton Roads Realtors Association knows the importance of schools to a buyer’s home search – and to best serve the needs of our Realtors, whose help is integral to buyers realize the American dream of homeownership – HRRA has welcomed South Hampton Roads’ superintendents of schools to present at the association almost annually for nearly two decades, whether as a group or individually,” she said.
A well-informed Realtor seeks to stay abreast of information impacting the communities he or she serves, she added.
The superintendents fielded questions about school safety, technology, the LGBT student community, and more.
Melinda Boone, superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools, talked about the working relationship among the region’s schools, and the goal they share.
“The best education and opportunities for all of our children,” she said.
Realtors also learned that in Virginia Beach, all 86 of the city’s schools are accredited.
“That is the result of a lot of hard work and effort of our school division,” said Superintendent Aaron Spence.
Suffolk Public Schools includes 19 schools and more than 14,000 students, Superintendent Deran Whitney told the Realtors, and the district has a new strategic plan, Building Exceptional Schools.
“The reason we chose that is because we’re in the process of building two new schools right now,” Whitney said. Both will open in September.
Jarred Cotton graduated from Chesapeake Public Schools, taught there, and is now the superintendent.
“Now I have this amazing opportunity to come back home … I’m a walking advertisement for this school division,” he said.
HRRA’s Government Affairs Committee allows HRRA members to participate in the public policy process at the local, state, and national level.
