VPM News sent a questionnaire to every candidate running to fill one of the nine seats on the Richmond School Board.
The questions were chosen to gauge candidates’ positions on existing division initiatives like RPS200 — a pilot program to extend the school year to 200 days — as well as their vision for addressing issues like school safety and student mental health.
These are the seven questions sent to the candidates:
- What's your perspective on RPS200?
- What is your take on the Dreams4RPS strategic plan? What would you change and what would you keep?
- How will you address the needs of students from diverse backgrounds, including English learners, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students?
- What is your stance on the role of standardized testing in schools? How should student success be measured?
- What's your strategy to address absenteeism?
- What role does the district play in addressing gun violence?
- What are your suggestions for addressing students' mental health?
For responses from the candidates, scroll down or click on a specific district:
1st District | 2nd District | 3rd District | 4th District | 5th District | 6th District | 7th District | 8th District | 9th District
1st District
Matthew Percival, who applied to replace now-state Sen. Glen Sturtevant when he left the School Board in 2016 to join the General Assembly, is running unopposed to fill the seat being vacated by Elizabeth Doerr.
2nd District
Katie Ricard, a former public school teacher and assistant principal who is currently a youth ministry director at St. James's Episcopal Church, is challenging incumbent board member Mariah White.
White didn’t respond to VPM News' School Board candidate questionnaire after multiple email requests.
Read full responses from Ricard here.
3rd District
This seat is being vacated by Kenya Gibson, who is running to represent the 3rd District on Richmond City Council.
Three candidates are running to replace Gibson: Ali Faruk, who works at the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services; RPS graduate and parent Charlene Riley; and Kevin Starlings, a nonprofit director and the current chair of the School Board's Health Advisory Board.
Read full responses from 3rd District candidates here.
4th District
Garrett Sawyer, who runs a human resources consulting company, has represented the district since April, when board member Jonathan Young resigned. He is running against business coach and consultant Angela Fontaine and Wesley Hedgepeth, who teaches at Collegiate School in the city's West End.
Read full responses from 4th District candidates here.
5th District
Stephanie Rizzi, who has worked in a variety of roles at Virginia Commonwealth University and served as School Board chair from 2021 until she stepped down from the role in July, is running for re-election. Her opponent, Mamie Taylor, represented the 5th from 2012–2016 and is a former RPS teacher with three children who graduated from schools in the district.
Read full responses from 5th District candidates here.
6th District
Shonda Harris-Muhammed, who is in her second stint on the School Board, is running unopposed.
7th District
Incumbent Cheryl Burke, the former principal of Chimborazo Elementary School, is running unopposed for re-election. She has not faced a challenger since winning a special election in 2018.
Burke did not respond to multiple email requests for comment.
8th District
After 12 years on the board, current chair Dawn Page is not seeking re-election. Two candidates are running for the position: E.J. "Emmett Jay" Jafari, the owner of African American Tours of Richmond, and PH "Cruz" Sherman, who serves as a chaplain with the Richmond Police Department and works for Mechanicsville-based health care logistics company Owens and Minor.
Read full responses from 8th District candidates here.
9th District
Shavonda Fernandez was appointed earlier this year to fill a board seat that opened when Nicole Jones replaced now-Del. Mike Jones (no relation) on City Council. Fernandez is running unopposed.
She did not respond to multiple email requests for comment.
