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RPS Superintendent hosting ‘Community Conversation’ on Wednesday

Posted at 12:24 PM, Mar 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-28 12:24:52-04

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Public School Superintendent Jason Kamras is hosting a two-hour community conversation on Wednesday. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Mary Munford Elementary School, at Grove and Westmoreland Avenue. Kamras siad he hopes to meet with parents and get their input.

Kamras was hired in late October 2017 and took over from interim superintendent Tommy Kranz on Jan. 31, 2018. His resume includes more than 20 years as an educator, first as middle school math teacher and then as an administrator in the Washington DC school district.

In 2005, Kamras was named the United States National Teacher of the Year. He was presented the award by President George W. Bush.

Kamras, 43, was mostly recently the Transitional Chief of the Office of Equity for Washington, D.C. Public Schools.

The Princeton and Harvard graduate created and implemented programs for D.C. schools to recruit, develop, and retain teachers.

“I believe we have a particular responsibility to achieve this for the children who face the greatest challenges in their lives,” said Kamras. “After all, public education must be more than just good instruction. It must be about creating a more equitable society.”

It’s an education philosophy that caught the attention of Richmond’s search committee and city leaders.

“I think his work speaks for itself,” said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. “I think you look at Washington DC public schools and the record they’ve had in improvement over the last 5 years or more. You can see they’ve been very intentional about focusing on talent. In bringing the right teachers into the classroom who can focus on closing the achievement gap, but also focus on encouraging and rewarding our teachers who are performing.”

Kamras is married to an educator and has son in first and third grade, who he said will attend public schools in Richmond.

This is the first time Kamras has served as a superintendent of a school division.