Melody Winters, a board member of the union representing Richmond Public Schools employees, said the RPS talent and finance departments have experienced noticeable shifts in morale following the division’s chief talent officer being put on leave.
“Now, workers have reported collaboration, efficiency and overall much improved working environment,” said Winters, who's also an ASL interpreter at Huguenot High School, during Tuesday’s Richmond School Board meeting.
Not only are workers reporting higher morale, Winters said, but collective bargaining agreements — contracts between the district and RPS staff, typically negotiated by a union — are also making progress.
“With the talent chief's absence, I am pleased to share today that via email, we finally reached a tentative agreement for the central office unit, which includes protecting the working conditions of ASL interpreters and learning conditions for our students,” Winters said.
During a Feb. 4 board meeting, several RPS staff members alleged Chief Talent Officer Maggie Clemmons had fostered a hostile work environment. Anne Forrester, Richmond Education Association president, had previously sent Superintendent Jason Kamras and the School Board a letter detailing alleged misconduct by Clemmons toward district staff.
VPM News reached out to Clemmons via Linkedin, but did not receive a response by the time this story was published.
Forrester told VPM News in early February that Clemmons returned to work after the public allegations were made. Following the Feb. 4 meeting, union members reached out to Kamras and school board representatives with concerns.
Forrester said union members received an email from Kamras saying Clemmons was put on leave on Feb. 6 — two days after the board meeting. VPM News confirmed the details with RPS media relations staff.
James Smith, president of Teamsters Local 592, said at the Tuesday board meeting that the unit has been negotiating contracts for principals, associate principals, directors and associate directors since 2023. He said the most recent negotiation session was more productive than meetings during the past six months.
“There was one reason for that. There was one person missing,” Smith said. “Not to jump on anybody, but there was a roadblock, and we think y'all cleared it.”
RPS spokesperson Alyssa Schwenk confirmed Tuesday night that Clemmons is on leave, but said she could not comment further on personnel issues.
Kamras has said a third-party investigation is pending.
