RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond City School Board kicked off 2023 with new leadership after board members voted to replace their Chair and Vice Chair in an unexpected move Monday evening.
Stephanie Rizzi and Cheryl Burke were elected as the school board's Chair and Vice Chair respectively. Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed and Kenya Gibson previously served in those roles.
Monday's school board meeting began with Gibson nominating Harris-Muhammed to continue serving as the chair, but her motion failed after five of the nine board members opposed it.
Explaining why she would not support the nomination, Representative Dawn Page suggested Harris-Muhammed did not operate as a "true leader."
"When it comes to a leader, a true leader reaches out across the aisle so that both sides can come together to work toward a common goal which is student achievement," Page said. "A leader respects the opinions of others even though it may [be] different from yours. More importantly, we operate as a board of nine, because each of us has one vote and one vote only representing nine different districts."
Representative Mariah White then nominated Rizzi for Chair, calling her a leader who is "fair" and "transparent." The motion passed unanimously.
"I have no words. This is totally unexpected," Rizzi said. "I must admit to you, I'm nervous. I want to work to be the best Chair I can possibly be. I honor and I respect all of my board colleagues and will work to make sure that is clear."
White nominated Cheryl Burke as Vice Chair, and the motion passed with seven members in support. Gibson and Harris-Muhammed voted 'no.'
During the discussion, a few other board members commented on why they wanted a new direction in leadership.
Representative Liz Doerr said she was proud to support a leadership team that was "representative of everyone on the board."
And White said her decision was not personal, but rather strictly business.
"This is a time for the board to come together. This is 2023, and I've placed in my mind that we will not accept just anything in Richmond Public Schools any longer. We know what we need to do here on this board. We're not dysfunctional, it's just sometimes, there are some personal issues that are going on," White said.
The school board was no stranger to controversy throughout 2022 under Harris-Muhammed's leadership. Richmond city leaders, community members, RPS staff, parents, and state officials criticized the board's governance. Other board members said the school board was divided and that a majority of members voted in a 5-4 bloc in opposition to Superintendent Jason Kamras.
Past coverage from CBS 6 details some of the controversies:
- Richmond School Board Chair says VDOE has no 'space' to indicate how she governs: 'Like it or not'
- Westover Hills principal criticizes 'dysfunctional' school board in aftermath of deadly shooting
- Group of frustrated Richmond parents speak out against school board
- Richmond School Board Chair has 'no trust' in superintendent as he begs board for no action on curriculum
- Richmond parents confused by 'embarrassing' school board meeting: 'Stop with the drama'
But in a statement to CBS 6 on Tuesday, Harris-Muhammed defended her work as Chair and said the comments about her leadership style were not true and unfortunate.
"The statements that were made last evening were crafted to downgrade the work that the former Co-Chair and I accomplished as leaders of the board. It is extremely difficult to collaborate when you are consistently undercut by individuals who have the vision of destroying progress or individuals due to personal conflict instead of operating in decency and in order," Harris-Muhammed said.
Harris-Muhammed said she will not waiver from the qualities of a "transformational leader" to include "decency and intellectual stimulation."
Despite statements made by other board members, she said she was proud of the school board's achievements in 2022 and remained committed daily to meeting the district's goals.
"I worked with all nine members of the school board regardless of where they stood on topics or decisions and regardless of how they treated me as a leader publicly. I chose to lead with humility, grace, poise, and a positive attitude and not with tension," she said. "Servant leadership is not easy and when you are not joined at the political hip with others, your service will be attacked. I understood the assignment and I am pleased with my service as former chair."
Harris-Muhammed added she was grateful for her time as chair and will support the new leaders now in place.
"Today, we have new school board leadership and I look forward to working collaboratively with the new leadership. As long as I am granted the blessing and favor to serve on the school board, I will continue to serve all students and staff in Richmond Public Schools," she said.
