Desperately seeking school board rep

When Glen Sturtevant is sworn into the Virginia State Senate in mid-January, he’ll vacate his seat as the 1st District representative on the City of Richmond School Board. Here’s what happens next…

January 11, 2016; 9:39 AM • by Valerie Catrow

Update #1 — January 11, 2016; 9:38 AM

According to this Richmond Magazine article there are ten interested candidates.

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Original — December 11, 2015

On January 13th, Glen Sturtevant will be sworn in as Virginia State Senator for District 10, vacating his seat as the School Board representative for Richmond’s 1st District. The remaining School Board members are now tasked with appointing Sturtevant’s replacement to finish out this term, which runs through December 31st of 2016.

And they’ve got to do it quickly.

According to School Board Clerk Angela Lewis (who I connected with over email), the School Board has 45 days from the date of the vacancy to appoint a replacement. The process officially began this week with a public notice calling for interested (and eligible) candidates to apply.

To be eligible to serve as the City of Richmond School Board’s 1st District Representative you must…

Be a registered voter in the City of Richmond.
Reside in the 1st District–that foot print includes Mary Munford Elementary School, Albert Hill Middle School, and Thomas Jefferson High School.

Applicants must submit–either in person or electronically–a letter of interest and a resume (which must include your home address and phone number) to Ms. Lewis no later than 4:30 PM on Friday, January 8th. Once the application deadline passes, our current School Board members will review the letters of interests and resumes received and then begin the interviewing process. A public hearing and vote to appoint Sturtevant’s replacement will occur shortly thereafter–dates for these steps in the process are “to be determined” at this point.

Here’s why this could get interesting, as explained by Graham Moomaw and Ned Oliver over at the RTD back in November:

[Sturtevant’s] departure from the School Board will break up, at least temporarily, the reliable five-member voting bloc that commanded a majority of the board.

In key votes on the board, Sturtevant joined Kimberly Gray, 2nd District; Jeff Bourne, 3rd; Kristen N. Larson, 4th; and Donald Coleman, 7th; to vote with the majority 82 percent of the time, according to a Richmond Times-Dispatch analysis earlier this year.

‘Every vote usually counts,’ Coleman, the board’s chairman, said Friday.

He said he’s hopeful the eight remaining members will be able to agree on Sturtevant’s successor.”

So are we, Mr. Coleman. So are we.

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Questions regarding the selection process should be directed to Ms. Lewis. She can be reached by email at alewis@richmond.k12.va.us, by phone at 804-780-7716, or in person by coming by the 17th floor of 301 N. 9th Street.