Members of the community gathered on December 12 to wish retiring Prince William School Board members Betty Covington and Milt Johns well after many years in public service.
Tim Singstock, former candidate for Chairman of the Prince William School Board, organized the event, which was held at Brother’s Encore Italian Restaurant in Woodbridge.
Singstock said that Brother’s Encore, Supervisor Maureen Caddigan, Delegate Richard Anderson, Supervisor Jeanine Lawson and Jane Beyer all stepped in to help fund the event.
More on Johns and Covington’s School Board career:
Johns was elected to the School Board in 2003, and served as Chairman from 2007 until 2015. He decided not to seek re-election for another term.
Covington has served many years on the School Board, beginning in 1995, before briefly stepping down to handle a family situation, according to Singstock. She ran again in 2003, and has served on the board for the last 12 years. Covington did seek re-election this year, but lost to Justin Wilk in November.
At the retirement party, School Board Members Gil Trenum, Alyson Satterwhite, and Dr. Michael Otaigbe spoke, as well as Singstock.
According to Singstock, Johns stated his biggest success was, “…we always opened the schools on time every year.”
Covington and Johns also spoke about their time on the School Board.
“It was really heartfelt. You could really tell that it was a meaningful [time] for them,” said Singstock.
When asked about how Covington was feeling about retirement, Singstock said, “She’s a solid person…and she’s in good spirits…I think the public was well-served by these people…they are both very proud of their legacy.”
In addition to Covington and Johns, Neabsco School Board member Lisa Bell and Coles School Board member Otaigbe will also be retiring from the Prince William School Board this year.
