The Chesterfield County School Board has voted to give its next board members a 60% raise, effective Jan. 1 after a new board is elected.
Current board members receive a $17,549 annual salary, and starting Jan. 1 the board’s five members will each receive a $28,000 salary, with the chair receiving an additional $2,000.
Its members will be among the highest paid in the state.
The board voted 3-2 to approve the raise at its Tuesday evening meeting. There was no discussion.
Local school boards can only vote to increase their members’ salaries during election years, according to state code. The raises go into effect after the new board members take over.
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The only school board whose members receive a higher salary than $28,000 at present is the Fairfax County School Board, according to a database compiled in February by the Virginia School Board Association.
Fairfax is the largest school division in Virginia with 180,100 students enrolled this school year. The Chesterfield County Public Schools division enrolled 63,916 students this academic year, according to state data, about one-third the number of students in Fairfax.
Fairfax has 12 school board members; Chesterfield has five.
Two of the three Chesterfield school board members who voted to approve the raises are running for reelection this fall: Bermuda representative Anne Coker and Clover Hill representative Dorothy Heffron.
The two members who voted against the raises have not filed to run for reelection: Debbie Bailey, who represents the Dale district; and Ryan Harter, who represents the Matoaca district. (Harter is seeking the Republican nomination for a Chesterfield seat in the House of Delegates in a June 20 primary.)
Midlothian representative Kathryn Haines, who voted to approve the raises but is not running for reelection, said it was exceptionally brave for the two members that are running for election to approve the raises.
“If we want high-functioning school boards and we want good governance, then we’re going to have to pay school board members a rate that enables you to take a job that does not require as many hours or to take a job where you can take (paid time off) and not jeopardize the family finances,” Haines said in an interview.
“School board members are most impactful when engaged in good governance, and good governance involves translating the vision and values of a community into policy, which is not an easy task.”
The Henrico School Board, whose five members are currently paid $22,371, voted to approve a 8.2% pay increase starting Jan 1. The raise is commensurate to the one all school board employees will receive next year. The board chair receives an extra $2,000.
Henrico’s enrollment this year was 50,389 students, about 13,500 fewer than Chesterfield.
Members of the Richmond City School Board each receive an annual salary of $10,000, with the board chair receiving an extra $1,000. The board’s pay has remained the same since at least 2001.
The Hanover County School Board’s annual salary established for its members has remained at $8,000 since 2006 when the General Assembly approved legislation on the matter, increasing the maximum pay from $4,600 to $8,000. Its chair receives an additional $1,100.
Richmond graduation shooting: Complete coverage
This is continuing Times-Dispatch coverage of a shooting that killed two after a Richmond high school graduation ceremony.
Police respond to shooting near Altria Theater
Interim Chief Edwards, Mayor Stoney and Superintendent Kamras speak following shooting outside Altria Theater
GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrats clashed on social media after she made comments in the wake of a shooting following a Richmond graduation ceremony.
Officials reacted Tuesday to a shooting in Richmond following a high school graduation ceremony:
The shooting left two dead and five more injured, one with life-threatening conditions.
Tuesday's shooting outside the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony was the second to occur at a Richmond public school function this year.
This is continuing coverage from The Times-Dispatch of Tuesday's shooting in Monroe Park.
• Shooting after graduation ceremony ignites fresh anger about gun violence
• Tuesday shooting was 2nd at school-related event this year in Richmond
• Timeline: What happened after the Huguenot High School graduation
• In their words: How elected officials are reacting
• City, school officials speak following Monroe Park violence
• 'Who is in charge?' says Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears
• Video: Police respond to shooting near Altria Theater
• Photos: Shooting after Huguenot High School graduation ceremony
Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras didn't know Shawn Jackson well, he said in a joint press briefing with Mayor Levar Stoney and Acting Police Chief Rick Edwards Wednesday morning at Richmond Police Department headquarters on Grace Street.
Huguenot High School graduation before the shooting.
Graduation had ended, and the nearly 300 students exited the theater onto the street. Then Fabiola Chesnut heard about 10 gunshots in rapid succession.
Demonstrators gathered and were joined by Second District Council Member Katherine Jordan in front of the Virginia state Capitol following the…
In a new statement Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears says "the one that pulled the trigger is ultimately responsible for his heinous actions."
A day set aside for pomp and circumstance ended with two dead, a woman mourning her husband and her son, and a public outcry against gun violence.
18-year-old Shawn Jackson struggled in school, said Huguenot High School Principal Robert Gilstrap. But despite that, he graduated Tuesday afternoon.
"Please know that you are not alone and that there are so many people here for you."
This is continuing coverage from The Times-Dispatch of Tuesday's shooting in Monroe Park.
• Richmond graduation mass shooting: Complete coverage
• Graduate, father killed in shooting after Richmond commencement ceremony
• Shooting after graduation ceremony ignites fresh anger about gun violence
• Tuesday shooting was 2nd at school-related event this year in Richmond
• Timeline: What happened after the Huguenot High School graduation
Seven people were shot — two fatally — Tuesday evening outside the Altria Theater in Richmond, following Huguenot High School's graduation ceremony. Here's what we know right now.
This is continuing coverage from The Times-Dispatch of Tuesday's shooting in Monroe Park.
• Richmond graduation mass shooting: Complete coverage
• Graduate, father killed in shooting after Richmond commencement ceremony
• Shooting after graduation ceremony ignites fresh anger about gun violence
• Tuesday shooting was 2nd at school-related event this year in Richmond
• Timeline: What happened after the Huguenot High School graduation
Four days after a deadly shooting took place at the Altria Theater, performances are still planned at the theater for this weekend.
Henrico County Public Schools continue to hold graduation ceremonies after the shooting tragedy at Altria Theatre. Families at Thursday's Highland Springs ceremony said they were determined to enjoy the day.
Days after tragedy and chaos ensued just few feet away, solidarity and candlelight illuminated Monroe Park.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., included a ban on assault rifles - as well as gun safety measures that Virginia already adopted - in a broader new legislative package.
Richmond students and families are experiencing a myriad of emotions.
"You can feel it on campus. Morale is pretty low."
HomeGoing services for Renzo Smith and Shawn Jackson will take place at noon on Thursday, June 15, at Speaking Spirit Ministries in Richmond.
An outpouring of grief, compassion and love spread throughout the homegoing ceremony of Huguenot High School graduate Shawn Jackson and his stepfather, Army Specialist Renzo Smith.
Funeral services were held Thursday for the Huguenot High School graduate and his stepfather
The man who police say opened fire in Monroe Park following a high school graduation ceremony appeared in court again Wednesday morning.
Rick Edwards, the interim Richmond police said, a press conference about this month's shooting in Monroe Park that left two dead was canceled …
The Richmond Police Department announced Thursday it would hold a news conference the next day to update the public about the Huguenot High Sc…
Richmond Public Schools administration seeks to boost partnership with police. It also proposes a new 15-part safety plan with a pilot program that would require some students to lock up their cellphones in pouches during the school day.
The Richmond City School Board voted Monday night to authorize a third-party investigation of the circumstances leading up to the June 6 shooting death of an 18-year-old graduating student and his father outside of the Altria Theater after the Huguenot High School graduation.
Students and teachers at Huguenot High School were greeted by the Richmond community Friday, more than two months after June's graduation shooting.
A February trial date has been set for Amari Pollard, the 19-year-old charged with shooting Huguenot High School student Shawn Jackson outside of his high school graduation in Richmond on June 6.
The Richmond School Board on Monday night rejected a proposal to release an external investigation into the June 6 shooting death of an 18-year-old graduating student and his father outside of the Altria Theater after Huguenot High School’s graduation ceremony.
Richmond Public Schools previously denied the newspaper’s public records request for the report, saying that it is subject to the attorney-client privilege exemption laid out in Virginia’s public record laws.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch sued the school board to force it to release the results of an investigation that it paid a law firm to conduct over the June 6 shooting outside the theater following the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony.
The Richmond School Board must release the investigation it commissioned into last summer’s shooting outside the Altria Theater, a judge ruled on Tuesday afternoon.
Richmond School Board Member Jonathan Young speaks about the newly released report on the Huguenot High School graduation shooting on Wednesda…
In June 2022 Shawn Jackson's mother emailed school officials, including RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras, that "we are still homeless from our home being shot up by students in Huguenot."
The report released today by Richmond Public Schools contains a number of previously unknown details about Huguenot High School’s 2023 graduation shooting.
It is not yet clear whether there will be personnel changes in lower-level positions.
“When I heard the first gunshot, my only reaction was to tell my wife to get on the ground."
Amari Pollard, 20, is the only suspect in the shooting at Huguenot High School's graduation last summer, where two people were killed and five others were injured. Pollard is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Shawn Jackson's death, and a separate felony offense for using a firearm. Pollard and Jackson had an "ongoing dispute," but police have never explained why only Pollard has been charged despite the number of victims. The trial is set to last five days, with a verdict expected on March 1.
The trial against the suspect in the Huguenot graduation shooting last summer outside the Altria Theater started Monday.
The defendant in the Huguenot graduation shooting asked for protection from police, citing fear for his safety. Body-worn camera footage shows his frantic surrender to law enforcement.
Amari Pollard, charged with first-degree murder in the Huguenot graduation shooting, admitted to killing someone during a taped interview with police, authorities said.
Amari Pollard, 20, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in connection with the shooting at Huguenot High School graduation. He was sentenced to 43 years in prison, with 18 years suspended.
Officials on Thursday released a video prepared by the FBI showing the moments before and after the shooting outside the Altria Theater in June.
Officials on Thursday released a video prepared by the FBI showing the moments before and after the shooting outside the Altria Theater in Jun…
This footage was released on Thursday, after Amari Pollard pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the Huguenot graduation shooting
Veteran Richmond-area defense attorney Jerry Zerkin said the decision by Amari Pollard's defense to take a plea deal Thursday afternoon is really not surprising.
In his 20-plus years as an officer, Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards has seen his share of heartbreak.