Malia Huddle

Malia Huddle is an at-large member of the Chesapeake Public Schools in Virginia. She assumed office on January 1, 2025. Her current term ends on January 1, 2029.

Huddle ran for election for an at-large seat of the Chesapeake Public Schools in Virginia. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Huddle completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Malia Huddle was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She earned a high school diploma from Cradock High School, a bachelor's degree from Old Dominion University in 1981, and a graduate degree from Old Dominion University in 1985. Her career experience includes working as a school counselor.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Angie Swygert (Nonpartisan)	13.6	52,965
✔	Submit photo	Norman Pool (Nonpartisan)	12.1	47,024
✔	Submit photo	Malia Huddle (Nonpartisan)	12.0	46,661
✔	Submit photo	Elijah Colon (Nonpartisan)	11.4	44,523
	Submit photo	Daniel Stahler (Nonpartisan)	10.8	42,001
		L. Jameel Shaheer (Nonpartisan)	9.8	38,036
		Rue Willis (Nonpartisan)	9.4	36,751
		Gregory Dono (Nonpartisan)	9.2	35,765
		Tom Mercer (Nonpartisan)	6.5	25,501
		Samuel Boone (Nonpartisan)	5.0	19,537
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	1,312

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 390,076
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Huddle in this election.

2022

General election

General election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large (5 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Kim Scott (Nonpartisan)	12.8	42,363
✔	Submit photo	Brittany Walker (Nonpartisan)	12.0	39,870
✔		Amanda Dean (Nonpartisan)	11.8	39,039
✔		John McCormick (Nonpartisan)	11.5	38,272
✔	Submit photo	Michael Lamonea (Nonpartisan)	11.3	37,557
		Shirley Auguste (Nonpartisan)	9.8	32,548
	Submit photo	Malia Huddle (Nonpartisan)	9.4	31,300
	Submit photo	Bradley Moore (Nonpartisan)	8.7	28,935
	Submit photo	Gayle Gilmore (Nonpartisan)	3.0	9,986
		Blaizen Buckshot Bloom (Nonpartisan)	2.7	8,936
	Submit photo	Jared Miller (Nonpartisan)	2.3	7,525
		Kimberly Alameda (Nonpartisan)	2.3	7,496
		Jennifer Economy (Nonpartisan)	2.1	6,808
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	1,295

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 331,930
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tiffany Thompson (Nonpartisan)

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Malia Huddle completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Huddle's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have 35+ years of experience in public education. I spent 29 years as a counselor at Oscar Smith High School. Prior to joining Chesapeake Public Schools, I worked as an academic advisor/instructor and as an admissions counselor at Old Dominion University. During my years in Chesapeake, I had the privilege of being elected President of the Chesapeake Education Association for two consecutive terms and also serving nine years on the Virginia Education Association Board of Directors. I firmly believe that being the mother of an 2007 Oscar Smith graduate, a professional educator, an association leader, a champion for students and families, and a staunch supporter of public education have give me the unique perspective and experiences that quality me to service as an informed and effective school board member.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I want to insure that our schools are safe, fully staffed, fully resourced, and fully funded without the great disparity that currently exists across the school system.
I support bringing teacher salaries to the national average and insuring that our support staff earn a living wage in order to hire and retain highly qualified education professionals at all levels.
I will work to foster open communication between school administration, staff, parents, students, and community stakeholders to build trust and to create a supportive working and learning environment. Additionally, I commit to seeking the funding required to make each of these goals a reality.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about creating a school system/public school experience where EVERY child has the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential and their goals in a safe and welcoming environment. We must provide multiple paths/options for our students to prepare to enter the world as productive citizens. Whether a student wants to enter the workforce immediately after high school, go to college, join the military, become an entrepreneur, become a skilled tradesperson, or pursue some other avenue, we must provide curriculum and experiences that will allow them to pursue their dreams. One size does not fit all. I support developing partnerships that would allow students to explore and experience a wide variety of career options.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe that elected officials must have a heart for service and a willingness to put aside ego and personal bias to truly work for the good of the community and their constituents rather than for personal gain or recognition.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was five years old when JFK was assassinated. I vividly remember how upset my parents were as they tried to explain to me what had occurred. Just a few years later, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were also assassinated during the turbulent times of the civil rights movement I was older but still could not grasp why people would kill other people to keep them from standing up for equal treatment of all persons. It still boggles my mine that some folks seek to infringe upon the rights of others that they perceive as different or less than.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was as a cashier at Rose's drug store. I was 14 and worked there for about two years when I switched to working at a local drive in theatre as the box office manager. To this day, the money in my wallet all faces the same way as a result of the training I received in these two jobs. I also learned my first incredibly valuable lessons about serving the public and conflict resolution.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

A school board member's primary responsibilities are to work cooperatively and collegially with fellow board members and the superintendent to establish policies, oversee the budget, and to insure the school system hires and retains highly qualified professional educators.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I would like to expand our career and technical (vocational) programs and add a Fine & Performing Arts academy.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I firmly believe that it is the duty of a school board member to explore and advocate for additional sources of funding/revenue. Real Estate tax and the current local, state, and national funding strategies/formulas are not sufficient to fully fund the educational program let alone address the building and staffing needs of high quality school programs. We must do better.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

I believe we need more mental health resources in our schools for staff and students. I support reducing counselor caseloads by adding additional counselors as well as removing some of the "administrivia" from teacher duties.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would like to see a student representative added to the school board or the creation of a student advisory body that provides regular feedback to the board so that students have a greater voice in their own education.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Chesapeake Democratic Committee

Chesapeake Education Association PAC
Elizabeth River Retired Educator

Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and accountability are essential to building trust and confidence from those we are elected to serve. As elected officials, we must provide our constituents and communities with a full and accurate accounting of where their tax dollars are spent and why.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Malia Huddle did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

External links

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Candidate

Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2024

[1]

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Malia Huddle

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large (4 seats)

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for Chesapeake Public Schools, At-large (5 seats)

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

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2024 Election analysis

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