What’s New on the Richmond School Board?

VPM | By Rich Meagher

Published December 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM EST

A blonde woman in a pink shirt and black skirt stands at a podium. In the background, four women and two men sit around a desk listening to her presentation. — Victoria Gochez, right, ombudsman for Richmond Public Schools, presents an update on the division's updated policy on immigration enforcement at a Richmond City School Board meeting Tuesday, February 4, 2025. RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras, second from left, listens to the presentation alongside, from left, board members Shavonda Fernandez (9th District), Shonda Harris-Muhammed (6th District), Cheryl Burke (7th District) and Emmett Jafari (8th District) and board clerk Patrece Richardson.

There seems to be new vibes on the Richmond City School Board. Certainly things have quieted down. But the public schools are still vitally important to our city, still under scrutiny, and still making news.

Rich sits down with School Board Chair Shavonda Fernandez to ask: What’s with the new vibes, and what do they mean for the future of Richmond Public Schools – and our city?

Guest: Shavonda Fernandez, Richmond City School Board

Listen on rvasgotissues.vpm.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

About RVA’s Got Issues:

RVA’s Got Issues is VPM’s award-winning podcast that explores the politics and big issues in the news that are defining life in and around Richmond, Virginia. Hosted by Rich Meagher, Professor of Political Science at Randolph-Macon College, this weekly show tackles everything from housing and public transportation to education policy and local government transparency.

Each episode features expert guests who provide insights into Richmond’s biggest issues while offering actionable solutions for community engagement. Whether you’re curious about City Council decisions, school board policies, or how to get involved in local politics, RVA’s Got Issues delivers the knowledge you need to understand what’s happening in your community and what you can do about it.

New episodes drop every Wednesday on all major podcast platforms or at rvasgotissues.vpm.org. You can also join the conversation by sending your questions to [email protected]

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Rich Meagher

Richard J. Meagher [pronounced MARR] is Professor of Political Science, Director of Social Entrepreneurship at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and the host of RVA's Got Issues.

Meagher is an expert observer of local and state politics in Richmond and has been featured everywhere from print to television to radio. He is a political analyst for WRIC 8 News, and his commentary and opinion have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and his own RVAPolitics site.

He is also a Faculty Fellow for Brandeis University’s Educational Network for Active Civic Transformation (ENACT), a national program engaging undergraduates in state-level legislative change. Meagher's 2020 book, Local Politics Matters, argues for the importance of participation in city and county politics.

In 2023, he launched the Virginia Amendments Project, a resource for scholars and citizens about amendments to the Constitution of Virginia.

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