Photo by Jay Paul
Students at Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, the state’s first charter elementary school, navigate the tricky crosswalk at Semmes and Forest Hill avenues during their first week back on Aug. 3. Most of the region’s public school districts returned in late August, save for Hanover County Public Schools, which started on Sept. 6.
The new year comes with challenges. Richmond, and the counties of Henrico and Chesterfield are grappling with hundreds of teacher vacancies, bus driver shortages and students who are behind academically because of pandemic-related learning loss.
Meanwhile, the politicization of public education, from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s executive order banning the phantom teaching of critical race theory to some school boards’ adoption of anti-LGBTQ policies, isn’t helping.
Coupled with years of low pay, teachers’ unions across the state report that educators are quitting in droves. But not all is lost, says Christine Melendez, president of the Chesterfield Education Association. Despite the recent challenges, she says, the district managed to recruit between 550-600 new teachers this year.
“I just want to commend the people we’ve attracted to Chesterfield specifically, but also honor those who have chosen to stay when there are many reasons and factors pointing to leaving the profession,” she says.
