New School Board sworn in amid water crisis

Neither ice nor a lack of running water could keep the new Richmond School Board from being sworn in this week — although they did shorten its first meeting of the year.

After a two-day delay, eight of the nine members took the oath of office from Richmond Circuit Court Clerk Ed Jewett at City Hall Wednesday night. The ninth, 8th District member E.J. “Emmett Jay” Jafari, held his own ceremony Tuesday at the New Canaan Worship Center off Forest Hill Avenue.

Richmond Superintendent Jason Kamras called the assembly of five new and four returning members “a really extraordinary group of people who care so deeply about the young people not only in their districts but all across Richmond.”

“They all have a deep, deep heart for our children, and I know they’re going to work together — we are going to work together — absolutely fabulously,” he said.

While the last School Board was frequently criticized for its infighting, particularly during the first two years of its tenure, many of the candidates for the current board emphasized the need to improve inter-board relationships and embrace more “good governance” practices.

On Wednesday, the new board unanimously chose 9th District member Shavonda Fernandez as chair and 1st District member Matthew Percival as vice chair, both of whom emphasized their desire to work collaboratively.

“Thank you to my colleagues for this vote of confidence,” said Fernandez. “I don’t take this lightly. I’m humbled and grateful and I look forward to continuing the work in collaboration with all of you and alongside the administration.”

Percival said that “the real story here tonight is consensus and collaboration.”

The new board also agreed unanimously to move all of the body’s other business to its next meeting on Jan. 13 in light of the water emergency. 

Taking the oath

Each incoming School Board member chose to take the oath on a different book (or, in the case of one, no book at all). Here’s what each told The Richmonder about their choice:

• 1st District, Matthew Percival: No book. “It’s not about me,” he said.
• 2nd District, Katie Ricard: Her husband’s Bible. Hers, she said, was a Precious Moments Bible from her childhood, and she “didn’t feel it had the solemnity we needed.”
• 3rd District, Ali Faruk: His grandfather’s Koran. Faruk said his grandfather had six daughters in India and made sure all went to college. “He was a man who cared deeply about education,” he said.
• 4th District, Wesley Hedgepeth: A bound copy of the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents like the Federalist Papers and Common Sense --- a choice reflecting his profession as a history teacher.
• 5th District, Stephanie Rizzi: A Scofield Bible that she has owned since she was a teenager that also contains photos of her family. “I’m very comfortable with it,” she said.
• 6th District, Shonda Harris-Muhammed: A Bible that belonged to her grandmother, who along with her grandfather raised her.
• 7th District, Cheryl Burke: A Bible given to her son by his honorary aunt and long-time Armstrong High teacher Frances Logan. Burke said she and her sons would study the volume together and she has continued to use it.
• 8th District, E.J. Jafari: A Bible from his great-grandfather’s church, which he founded in Emporia in 1916.
• 9th District, Shavonda Fernandez: Her personal Bible.