Exit Interview

Last night the RPS School Board voted to terminate the employment of REA President Neri Suarez. Disappointingly, only two School Board members voted to oppose or pause this termination. Third District School Board rep and City Council candidate Kenya Gibson voted "no;"  Shonda Harris-Muhammed (6th District) abstained. Obviously education workers will be making all of this an election issue. In advance of the termination vote, I sent the following written comment to some members of the School Board. Since emailing these remarks, I have added to them and extended them. *** RPS has put the President of the REA up for termination. In response, the REA Board launched a petition asking that the School Board rescind this termination. In response to the petition and the accompanying email that went out out to all REA members, Superintendent Kamras accused the REA Vice President of libel and demanded that she retract the email and petition issued by the REA Board. He also demanded th...

I've had so many thoughts and reflections concerning this turn of events. It will take me some days to process it all, collect my reactions, and ponder next steps. In the meantime, I offer a metaphor by way of this image found on Reddit . Whether or not it is real, I hardly care. They tried to chop off our president by the knees. Her union comrades, here in Richmond, in Chesterfield, and further afield; and her community, including elected officials like Kenya Gibson and school board candidate Charlene Riley , have all stepped in to lift her up. We're not going to let the REA President get chopped down.  We are going to supply her the spiritual, emotional, and collegial support she needs to survive this attack. This retaliatory strike against the REA president was never about just one person. This was a signal to anyone who might be thinking of assuming a leadership role in our union that they will be immediately placed on a [metaphorical*] hit list. This is a classic union-bu...

I am assigning every RPS school board candidate homework. Is this a bit cheeky? Maybe. But I was seriously - SERIOUSLY - surprised when more than one school board candidate indicated to me that they do not watch school board meetings. School Board candidates - here is your first assignment. Study guide, quiz and syllabus to follow. *** The first assignment is to watch the public comment given by RPS employees at the May 6, 2024 School Board meeting. In this series of public comments, members of the REA, including Board members and officers, describe multiple violations of the collective bargaining agreement and resolution. These violations include transgressions against "the letter" (i.e. explicit conditions) of the agreement, as well as the spirit of collective bargaining. The viewing homework lasts for approximately 30 minutes. Speakers include: REA Vice President, REA Secretary (and past President),  REA Treasurer of the REA,  three REA Board members,  an American Sig...