Bill Text: VA HR342 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Audrey Furness.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-20 - Bill text as passed House (HR342ER) [HR342 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HR342-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Audrey Furness, a passionate advocate for young people, retired from the Accomack County School Board in 2019, after 36 years of outstanding service; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Furness grew up in Accomack County and graduated from what was then known as Parksley High School and later became Parksley Middle School; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Furness served on the parent-teacher associations of what is now Kegotank Elementary School and Parksley Middle School, where she supported efforts to build a school gym; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Furness was inspired to run for the Accomack County School Board to help students throughout the county receive the best possible education; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, Audrey Furness was sworn in as a member of the Accomack County School Board by her father, J. Fulton Ayres, who was the clerk of the Accomack Circuit Court at the time, and began a long and distinguished tenure as a champion for students in the county; and
WHEREAS, over the course of her career, Audrey Furness worked with eight superintendents and countless principals, administrators, and teachers; she worked diligently to enhance the academic process and ensure students had the tools to become lifelong learners and achieve their fullest potential; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Furness oversaw the opening of numerous new schools, including Nandua High School, Nandua Middle School, Arcadia Middle School, Chincoteague Elementary School, Accawmacke Elementary School, Metompkin Elementary School, and Tangier Combined School; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Furness helped create innovative programs to better serve students, including Reconnect, which allows students who have been expelled from school to continue their studies electronically with adult supervision; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Audrey Furness hereby be commended on the occasion of her retirement from the Accomack County School Board; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Audrey Furness as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her achievements in service to students in Accomack County.
