PETERSBURG, Va. -- What is going on with Petersburg School Superintendent Dr. Tamara Sterling? That question remains on the minds of some Petersburg leaders and members of the greater school community following days of uncertainty about her employment status.
CBS 6 continues to seek answers about Sterling's status.
While the Petersburg School Board Chair said Sterling was "on leave,” the Virginia Department of Education said it was assisting Petersburg City Public Schools with a "transition."
In a search for answers, I walked into the Petersburg School Board Office last Thursday and was told the superintendent was unavailable.
One day later, the school system admitted she was on leave. That was something they knew the day before, but would not release to me, even after a week of requesting answers about her employment status.
Former Petersburg City Council Member Treska Wilson-Smith told me she was very concerned about what she called a revolving door in the superintendent's office.
"Nobody’s staying here. There’s a two-year turnover rate for most superintendents," Wilson-Smith said. "Anytime you have to consistently change your top, your superintendent, it affects our children one way or another and that concerns me."
When Dr. Sterling arrived in August 2023, she told CBS 6 she had no ties to the community but did admire the work being done in Petersburg.
Just a few weeks ago, the school system congratulated Sterling in an online post for achieving a national certification.
By the end of the month though, she would be considered "on leave" having neither resigned nor been terminated by the school board.
I reached out again on Monday morning to Petersburg School Board chair Kenneth Pritchett. And like other voice mails and text messages I've left, he has not responded back.
Pritchett released the following statement on March 1:
While it is not our practice to comment on matters regarding specific personnel, we feel it is necessary to respond to misinformation circulating in our community. Dr. Tamara Sterling has neither submitted a formal resignation nor been terminated by the PCPS Board. She is on leave at this time. We will provide an update as soon as one is available and appropriate to do so.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
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