The Richmond School Board’s decision to part ways with Superintendent Dana Bedden on June 30 ends a chapter that began with hopes of a school system turnaround. Three and a half years later, that turnaround is either incomplete or stalled, depending on which side of the “Better with Bedden?” debate you fall. Here’s how we got here.
Photo by Ken Penn
A. January 2014 — Bedden takes the reins of Richmond Public Schools.
B. January 2015 — The superintendent unveils his Academic Improvement Plan, calling for $23 million more in city funds over three years. The School Board endorses it, but City Council does not fund it in full during its first or second year.
C. February 2015 — Boston names Bedden a finalist for its superintendent job. After an outpouring of community and political support, he withdraws from consideration.
D. February 2016 — Richmond’s School Board takes the first step toward a long-term plan backed by Bedden’s administration to overhaul decrepit buildings, asking City Council for $196 million in capital funds over five years to demolish, renovate and repair facilities. The plan goes unfunded.
E. March 2016 — Facing a budget shortfall, Bedden’s administration proposes shuttering several schools, including Armstrong High. After public outcry, the board votes down the proposal.
F. November 2016 — City elections result in eight new School Board members, many of whom tapped into district-level dissatisfaction with Bedden to win their races.
G. February 2017 — Jeff Bourne, a Bedden ally and the last remaining incumbent from the board that hired the superintendent, leaves his seat after winning election to the Virginia House of Delegates.
H. March 2017 — News of the school system’s $8.3 million surplus provokes public frustration. Bedden says the sum wasn’t disclosed sooner because the city’s Comprehensive Annual Final Report (CAFR) was incomplete.
I. April 18, 2017 — The U.S. Department of Education announces a civil rights investigation into how RPS disciplines African-American students and students with disabilities.
J. April 2017 — The School Board announces Bedden’s departure, citing “philosophical differences,” and nine days later approves a severance package of nearly $300,000.
