The Richmond City School Board has voted to extend Superintendent Jason Kamras’s contract for an additional four years, concluding on June 30, 2029. This decision came after an 8-1 vote by the board members.
Jason Kamras began his tenure with Richmond Public Schools (RPS) on February 1, 2018. With this extension, he enters into his third contract with the district.
“Serving as RPS Superintendent has been the greatest professional honor of my life,” Kamras stated. He expressed gratitude towards Chair Fernandez, Vice-Chair Percival, and the entire School Board for their trust in him to continue serving over 22,000 students. Kamras noted that RPS is showing improvement in areas such as early literacy scores and graduation rates but acknowledged there is more work ahead to prepare students for successful futures.
The Richmond City School Board emphasized that the extension followed a thorough review of academic results, leadership through key challenges, and progress toward district-wide objectives. “The majority of the Board believes this is the right step forward to ensure continued momentum and stability across Richmond Public Schools under Superintendent Kamras’s leadership,” they commented.
Under Kamras’s leadership, RPS has achieved measurable improvements in school accreditation and student performance metrics like early literacy and graduation rates. The board aims to build upon these achievements with goals such as ensuring all third graders read at grade level and increasing on-time graduation rates significantly.
The board also highlighted their commitment to fostering a leading educator workforce in Virginia and modernizing school facilities for contemporary learning needs. They underscored that Kamras would be instrumental in driving these initiatives forward.
“This extension reflects a continued partnership but also reinforces our commitment to accountability,” the board stated. They emphasized their united stance on holding Superintendent Kamras accountable to high standards over the next four years to fulfill their vision of providing world-class public education for every student in Richmond.
