Cheryl Burke, appointed to represent the 7th District on the Richmond School Board, takes the oath of office. (Photo by Sarah King)
Longtime Richmond Public Schools principal and educator Cheryl Burke was sworn in to the interim 7th District School Board seat Tuesday at City Hall, after the School Board’s announcement of her appointment Monday evening at a regularly scheduled meeting.
Burke was among 10 candidates who applied for the interim post after Nadine Marsh-Carter resigned her 7th District seat, which she would have held until 2020, on Sept. 5. In a note to colleagues, Marsh-Carter cited the unexpected late-July death of her husband as the reason for her resignation; there will be a special election in November 2018 to permanently fill the 7th District seat.
“I’m so thankful that my family has allowed me to continue the work that I’ve only known how to do — and that is to love and bless children,” Burke said at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony. “I’ll do my best — if you need to pull me by my coattails, I won’t mind, because I’m not thin-skinned. I look forward to being a part of this team.”
Burke said serving on the School Board is in “my blood, and that’s why this morning I was a little shaken.” She used a Bible her mother gave her father as she was sworn in by Richmond Circuit Court Clerk Edward Jewett.
“I am touched being here this morning,” Burke said. “I’m reflecting, because my mother served on the school board in Powhatan County, and was the chair of the board for years after serving as a teacher for 40 years.”
Mayor Levar Stoney, Richmond School Board Chairwoman and 8th District Representative Dawn Page, Vice Chairman and 5th District Representative Patrick Sapini, and 3rd District Representative Cindy Menz-Erb also attended the ceremony. Menz-Erb, appointed to the board in March after former member Jeff Bourne won election to the House of Delegates, will be on the ballot Nov. 7.
“Ms. Burke is an excellent addition to the Richmond School Board,” Stoney said. “She brings a vast amount of experience, but it’s also where her heart lies — with the kids and the families of Richmond Public Schools.”
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney congratulates new School Board appointee Cheryl Burke. (Photo by Sarah King)
Page thanked Burke’s husband for “sharing your better half with Richmond Public Schools,” and he quickly quipped back that he had “no choice,” to laughter from the audience.
Menz-Erb said she is excited to start working with Burke, who has lived in Richmond for more than 40 years.
“I think Cheryl’s going to be a great asset,” Menz-Erb said. “I think she’s going to bring a lot — we are desperately missing Nadine, so she has big shoes to fill, but I think she’s up for the challenge.”
A Church Hill resident for 25 years, Burke used to walk to work at Chimborazo Elementary School, where she served as principal for 19 years, overseeing a period when the school was struggling. She notes that it was the only International Baccalaureate elementary school in the Richmond area.
Burke said she has some concerns about the current state of the city’s public schools, but looks forward to getting “out on the battlefield” to “do what’s best for our future.”
“I think people are working hard. However, when you look at the accreditation and the morale, we’ve had low points, especially in the East End, but working collectively together — bringing in parents, little businesses, big businesses and every child pulling together — makes a heck of a difference,” Burke said. “We have to get beyond finding fault. What we need to do is to collaborate and celebrate. It’s not about me, it’s about our children.”
Although Burke retired from RPS in 2014, she remains active in the community — teaching preschoolers at her church, Ebenezer Baptist, and volunteering with the Richmond chapter of Focused Motivated Achievers (FMA2) at Franklin Military Academy.
Burke holds a Master of Education degree in supervision and administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a certificate of achievement from Yale University’s School Leadership Development Program. She was on the board of directors at the Richmond chapter of Big Brothers, Big Sisters from 2012 to 2015, and was appointed to the Board of the Community in Development Inc. in 2016.
Burke said the big project she’s involved with right now at CID is helping youth, particularly in more challenging parts of the city, to become food entrepreneurs. “Whitcomb, Creighton, Fairfield — throughout the city, Hillside Court — working with people that may not have the opportunity to be entrepreneurs,” Burke said. “I think my calling is to work with those that are voiceless and to provide opportunities for them.”
Burke’s first School Board meeting as 7th District representative is Nov. 6.
