Cindy Menz-Erb
Cindy Menz-Erb, the new 3rd District School Board representative, takes the oath of office as her 4-year-old son, Charlie, assists. (Photo by Mark Robinson)
The Richmond School Board is complete again.
Cindy Menz-Erb was sworn in as the board's new North Side 3rd District representative at City Hall on Tuesday morning. The board’s eight sitting members selected Menz-Erb, a New York City transplant, from a crop of 12 candidates who sought to fill the open seat on an interim basis after Del. Jeff Bourne left the board in February.
Menz-Erb has spent the last decade in the nonprofit world with a focus on public education, most recently as the executive director of a nonprofit working with more than 100 Title-1 schools. A mother of two young children, she has enrolled her 4-year-old in the Holton Elementary pre-k program. She says she hopes to take advantage of the opportunity to improve Richmond's school system.
“When we heard the schools weren’t great [in Richmond], it made us think ‘How can we get involved?’ When this board seat opened up, it seemed like a great opportunity to dig in and say, ‘I want to be part of the city. I want to be part of making the city better,’ and one of the key ways to do that is to ensure the schools are good for all kids.”
Dawn Page, the board’s chairwoman, said there was no dearth of qualified candidates vying for the seat, but the board ultimately settled on Menz-Erb because of “her experience, the skills she brings to the table,” Page says. “We felt like it would be an asset. She brings a different lens, a different perspective.”
Menz-Erb will serve in the role until a special election is held in November. She says she has not decided whether she will seek to retain the seat.
