RICHMOND, Va. -- Superintendent for Richmond Public Schools (RPS), Jason Kamras, said the district is stretched "very, very thin" on the heels of another high-ranking administration official's resignation.
"I'm concerned," said RPS mom, Becca DuVal. "I'm concerned about burnout. I’m concerned about efficiency.”
DuVal, who has rising students at William Fox Elementary and Binford Middle, said she's worried about the state of RPS' leadership team, especially after what she called a string of "bad headlines."
“We have seen crisis after crisis in the school system," DuVal said.
In the past few months, RPS has been dealt with several tragedies and unfortunate incidents including Fox Elementary burning down, a bus garage destroyed, controversy over bloody hallways at Richmond Community High, and a Chromebook audit pointing to a poor distribution process.
“I’m concerned about the problems that we need addressed in the school system being addressed if there's nobody there to do it," DuVal said.
The superintendent and members of the school board confirmed RPS Chief Academic Officer Dr. Tracy Epp, who was in charge of educational programming for the district, has resigned.
Epp's departure came just two months after a different cabinet official left under Superintendent Kamras.
In an email to school board members, Kamras announced Chief Operating Officer Alana Gonzalez, who oversaw facilities projects for the district, would resign in May due to harassment.
Gonzalez's departure prompted a warning from Kamras at the time of operational delays as rebuilds for Fox and Wythe are underway.
Kamras also said his team was "stretched to the breaking point."
There now remains three other filled cabinet positions, but CBS 6 has learned two of them are currently on leave for different reasons.
“I really do just worry that what we're going to see is the remaining cabinet officials just buckling under the extra work that they have to carry," DuVal said.
On Thursday, Kamras said "it comes with the territory" when asked if it was challenging taking on additional leadership responsibilities in the absence of cabinet leaders.
“We are committed to stepping up in any way that we need to," Kamras said.
However, Kamras reiterated that district employees are still feeling the weight of a heavy workload, especially after the pandemic.
“It's been hard for us, it's been hard for the community, it's been hard for families. There's no surprise there," Kamras said. "So everybody is stretched very, very thin, and of course, the more hands-on-deck, the better off we are.”
School Board Member Cheryl Burke agreed but emphasized it's a crisis being felt in school districts across the country.
"Across the board, in every school, at the top, in the middle, at whatever level, we are stretched," Burke said. "People are doing the jobs of many.”
Burke said most leaders and employees are putting in overtime to keep operations running.
"As far as being in shambles, I've worked in Richmond Public Schools under those conditions before, but I'm the type of person that I'm going to go beyond the set hours. That's how you soar, and we have, in this district, persons that work beyond the job hours," Burke said.
Meanwhile, School Board Chair Dr. Shonda Harris-Muhammed said she is confident that current staff can transition into vacant central office roles. However, she said she has "fathomless concerns about the number of classroom teachers and custodians the division has lost."
Board Representative Jonathan Young said RPS was on track for a 78% increase in mid-year instructor resignations compared to the last pre-Covid academic year.
"Retention matters to me," Harris-Muhammed said. "I will always push with purpose a reorganization of several departments that I have openly described until the school district has a balance of staff in areas of critical need for our entire division."
The Chairwoman said she has not yet seen evidence that would make her rethink a restructuring of the central office is needed.
When asked how the board would prioritize filling administration roles, Harris-Muhammed said in part, "It is our priority, as is safety and student achievement, that our division is fully staffed. A concentration should not just be on cabinet-level positions but all positions."
She added, "We have qualified staff that can perform and speak to the duties in a cabinet-level position. I believe we should tap the qualified and talented people we currently have in position."
DuVal said she wanted to know what the plan would look like to reorganize central office staff and questioned if board members would commit to filling leadership roles.
"Make sure that we are making smart hiring decisions as a district. That's what you're elected to do. Let's not throw down more barriers to getting these positions filled," DuVal said.
When asked if the district would be in good shape to fill gaps on all levels in time for the fall, Burke said she had "complete faith."
“Everyone is stepping up to make sure that we have a great school opening," Kamras said.
