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Richmond educators deliver no-confidence message to central office at school board meeting
Summary
Leaders of the Richmond Education Association told the school board they have ‘no confidence’ in central office leadership, citing alleged poor communication, fiscal mismanagement and patterns of retaliation; the board later approved an MOU on wage payments and heard related budget concerns.
Jay Lee, president of the Richmond Education Association, told the Richmond Community Schools Board of Trustees during the public-comment period that the union’s executive board had voted no confidence in central office leadership, citing “poor communication” and “fiscal mismanagement.” Lee said the vote reflected a decline in educator confidence and urged the board to hold leadership accountable.
T. Washington, introduced herself as the REA associate director, described what she said was a repeated sequence under current central-office management: identifying an alleged policy violation, placing staff on administrative leave during investigation and then recommending contract cancellation. Washington warned that the pattern amounted to retaliatory practices that jeopardize employees’ salaries and benefits and asked the board to consider those risks before any personnel actions.
Mark Price, vice president of the REA, recounted past incidents in which union leaders were placed on leave and contracts were later canceled; he framed those outcomes as evidence the union’s concerns were not being addressed through regular channels and said settlements, not resolution, followed.
Board materials show the board subsequently approved an MOU between Richmond Community Schools and the REA regarding wage payments (motion passed 7–0). The MOU approval occurred later in the agenda under action items after the public-comment session.
The board did not take immediate disciplinary action during the meeting; members said they heard the concerns and emphasized procedures for personnel matters are governed by policy and contract. President Bridal and other trustees acknowledged the public comments and noted the board’s role is governance and oversight rather than day-to-day personnel management.
What’s next: The board has scheduled follow-up and indicated administrators will continue communications with the union; the MOU on wage payments is on file with the board’s action items.
