Lisa Dyer, a theater teacher at J.R. Tucker High School, and other Henrico County Public Schools theater educators told the Henrico County School Board on June 12 that current stipends and maintenance practices do not reflect the time and responsibilities of school dramatics programs.

“Why doesn't the county give us all stipend contracts at once? It's like someone's hoping theater teachers forget about the $1,600 stipend and just keep doing our job for less,” said Lisa Dyer, theater teacher at J.R. Tucker High School. Dyer said she has not signed her extended responsibilities contract because “doing so means I commit myself to $600 less than I than I got last year.”

The theater teachers’ comments came during the meeting’s public forum, a period when the board listens but does not respond to speakers. The comment period is followed up administratively, the board noted in its public forum instructions.

Why it matters: teachers said stipend structures and maintenance gaps affect program continuity, safety and student learning. “The new budget does call for high school theater teachers to receive the same stipend as the head basketball coach, which is a really good start,” Dyer said, but she and colleagues said more is needed because theatrical duties run year-round and often exceed the scope of a seasonal coach.

Tom Harris, drama teacher at Short Pump Middle School, described the workload and pay-grade disparities in more detail and urged ongoing communication between central office and theater staff. Harris said changes this year — including a move of the middle school ESS pay grade from 12 to 18 — did not fully address equity concerns. He provided comparative pay examples for 2023–24 and 2025–26 that he said illustrate the gap between dramatics and athletic stipends, including that his 2023–24 dramatics ESS listing showed 183 days at $930 and that a 2025–26 offer showed dramatics at ESS level 18, 183 days, $1,403 (figures provided by Harris during public comment).

Speakers described recurring facility issues. Dyer recounted problems at Tucker’s auditorium — “the sound system needed to be rewired. The lighting system needed to be completely reprogrammed, and both the light and soundboards needed to be replaced” — and said there is no countywide protocol for auditorium repair and maintenance. Harris said teachers repeatedly “bandaged an antique lighting system, picked up broken tiles off the floor, and rented or borrowed sound equipment to make the musical happen.”

Discussion vs. decision: these remarks were public comments; the transcript shows no board motion, directive or vote on stipends or auditorium maintenance during the June 12 meeting. Per the board’s public forum rules read at the meeting, staff will follow up with speakers.

Ending: speakers asked the board to restore sustained communication, establish a consistent county protocol for auditorium upkeep, and revise stipend structures to reflect dramatics’ year-round responsibilities. Several asked to participate in structured advisory discussions with central office to develop solutions.