Desmond Smith, 42, of North, has announced his candidacy for a seat on the Mathews County School Board. He is one of two incumbents running for the board.

Smith said he had great teachers and mentors in Mathews while growing up, and he wants to pay that back. When he was approached to run for his first term in 2019, he said, “it was a dream come true for me,” and he has since served as vice chair and chair.

“I have been running the school board meetings and working with the superintendent to develop an agenda,” he said. “The school board also collaborates with the board of supervisors, particularly when it comes to budget planning … I have worked hard to make sure the board of supervisors has a clear picture of what the school system’s budget needs really are.”

Smith said he’s interested in bringing some balance to the board in order to assess the needs of the school system and find solutions. To be competitive, Mathews needs to offer school facilities that compare favorably to the schools in the surrounding localities, he said, including such things as athletic facilities with a quality track.

“Our county produces many individual state champions,” he said. “Imagine what they could achieve as a team if they had the proper place to train and compete.”

Smith was born in Baltimore, but his mother, a Mathews native, returned to the county when he was 4 years old, and he’s been here ever since. He graduated from Mathews High School in 1999 with an advanced diploma, then attended Averett University in Danville, earning a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts. He began teaching special education in Mathews and has been working in education ever since, including teaching at the elementary, middle, high school, and community college levels in both public and private schools, including a boarding school.

“I feel that my extensive background has provided me with an excellent insight into the challenges that our students and teachers are facing,” he said.

Community involvement is important to Smith, and he is an associate minister and youth minister at Emmaus Baptist Church and as Christchurch School’s head tennis coach and assistant football and basketball coach. He has also served as a Virginia-certified Career Coach for four years.

Smith is one of six candidates seeking three open seats on the school board. Also running are incumbent Marianne “Mari” Gibbs, as well as Calvin G. Morgan, Sharon A. Frye, Tina Bull Broaddus and Mary Kathryn Diggs. Smith is one of three candidates endorsed by Mathews Citizens for the Common Good.