At last School Board meeting of the year, five of nine members say farewell

The Richmond School Board will look very different come January.

The last meeting of 2024 saw emotional farewells to five of the nine members of the board, which oversees a school division of nearly 21,000 students and 50 buildings.

“This is a difficult evening,” said 7th District member Cheryl Burke, who will be returning to her seat this January. “A lot of institutional knowledge is sitting at this table. A lot of institutional knowledge is moving onwards.”

Departing members include 1st District member Liz Doerr and 8th District member Dawn Page, neither of whom sought reelection; 3rd District member Kenya Gibson, who is moving onto City Council after defeating incumbent Ann-Frances Lambert; and 2nd District member Mariah White and 4th District member Garrett Sawyer, both of whom lost their electoral bids this November.

The new board that will assume power in the new year will be more diverse in terms of gender and race than the current body. The present board is composed of eight women and one man, of whom eight are Black and one white. The next body will be five women and four men, of whom five are Black, three white and one Southeast Asian. 

But on Monday, the attention was on those who were leaving — especially board Chair Dawn Page, who has represented the 8th District for 12 years in what Superintendent Jason Kamras called “the longest run of any current School Board member.” 

Among those who turned out to salute Page and present her with flowers were 9th District City Councilor Nicole Jones, who previously served with Page on the School Board; Michelle Mosby, a former city councilor who ran for mayor this November; and members of Page’s family.

“In all the years she’s been a part of the board, every decision that she made, it was done with the children’s best interest at heart,” said Blair Page Sr., her husband. “She knew that if she did that, she would always be okay with whatever decision that she made.” 

Page urged the board to “let policy be your guiding principle.” 

“Remember, the decisions that you make have a long-lasting impact on the school division, whether it’s positive or negative,” she said. 

Both White and Sawyer pledged to remain involved with the board even after their replacements take their seats this January. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” said Sawyer, while White wound up a lengthy speech by promising to run again in 2028. 

“Be ready to see me again in four years,” she said.