Goochland school board terminates superintendent and appoints Andrew Armstrong as interim superintendent

The Goochland County School Board voted to terminate the contract of Superintendent Michael Cromartie and approved the appointment of Dr. Andrew Armstrong as superintendent effective April 22, 2025.

Chair Meredith Moses said the board "terminated Dr. Cromartie's contract" after "much thought and consideration," and later moved into and certified a closed session under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act for personnel and legal briefings, citing Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(a)(1) and (a)(7). After the closed session the board conducted a roll-call certification and then voted to approve Armstrong's contract.

The action followed a closed-session motion and a public roll-call vote. The board announced the appointment on the record and held a separate certification that only matters identified in the convening motion had been discussed. Dr. Andrew Armstrong, who addressed the meeting after his appointment, said he was "honored and humbled" and pledged to "work every day to provide every child in this school division not just opportunity, but meaningful outcomes that prepare them for the world that awaits."

The meeting included extended public comment. Dozens of residents, teachers and clergy spoke during the public-comment period, many objecting to Cromartie’s dismissal and questioning the transparency and timing of the decision. Speakers raised fiscal concerns, saying Cromartie’s contract termination and related legal work could cost taxpayers “over $200,000” or “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” and said abrupt midyear leadership change harms staff morale and student support. Other residents told the board they supported the decision and urged the board to stay the course.

Board members opened the meeting with procedural votes — adopting the agenda and convening a closed session to address personnel matters — before returning to the public meeting and taking the final votes. The board recorded its closed-session certification by roll call; each member answered “I so certify” when called.

Discussion at the meeting and in public comment focused less on the specific contract terms and more on process, timing and community impacts. Multiple speakers said they believed the change was politically motivated; others defended the board’s legal authority to remove a superintendent who serves "at the pleasure of the board," as cited by a member during the meeting.

The board did not discuss details of personnel matters in open session, citing state confidentiality rules. The board’s motion to convene closed session referenced Virginia Code § 2.2-3711(a)(1) (personnel) and § 2.2-3711(a)(7) (legal briefing). A board member later read the statutory duties of local school boards, noting that under Virginia law the superintendent serves at the board's pleasure (citing Virginia Code §§ 22.1-28, 22.1-70, 22.1-79 during remarks about board authority).

Ending

The board's actions set an April 22, 2025 start date for Dr. Armstrong. Board members and district staff did not release detailed contract amounts or severance terms at the meeting. Several public commenters requested a public accounting of any severance or legal expenses and called for transparency about the selection process for the new superintendent.