Another round of a very important job interviews for Richmond School Board candidates happened in Linwood Holton Elementary School’s gymnasium Tuesday evening.

The candidate forum coincided with the City Council candidate forum, with incumbent 3rd District School Board member Kenya Gibson, incumbent 3rd District City Council member Ann-Frances Lambert, and former human resources consultant, Maria Carra Rose. According to the forum’s organizer, the merging of the two forums was intended to avoid timing conflicts with other upcoming candidate forums. The forum was moderated by Rosedale Civic Assocation President Grady Hart.

After the City Council forum ended, the 3rd District School Board candidates, senior policy analyst Ali Faruk and candidate and consultant Charlene Riley, came up on stage to share their priorities for the district’s seat.

Although 3rd District School Board candidate Kevin Starlings was absent from the forum, the discussion continued, with both present candidates sharing a focus on fostering student growth as a key priority for the School Board, rather than holding an unfavorable view of RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras.

“The decision to keep or to fire and manage the superintendent is the most important power of an elected school board,” Faruk said. “It should only be done not based on vibes or who’s friends with who or who thinks who’s doing a good job, but based on student outcomes.”

Riley agreed.

“We have to listen, and we have to be mindful of the people who are on the front lines every single day with the kids,” she said. “We cannot be ignoring the teachers, the administrators and the staff who work with the children every day.”

However, when Hart asked about implementing safety measures for RPS students due to gun threats and prevalent cases of bullying, the candidates offered contrasting views.

“It’s tragic and dystopian that we need clear backpacks and metal detectors in our schools,” Faruk said, referring to RPS’ clear backpack policy implemented after last year’s Huguenot High School graduation shooting, as well as separate incidents where students at Maymont Preschool and Oak Grove-Bellemeade Elementary brought loaded guns to school.

He asked the audience about how to best approach the issue, “How would you collaborate with people across City Council and stakeholder groups?”

“We have to be committed to shared prosperity. It means we have to be committed to fighting for each other’s rights, even though we don’t like each other and may not know each other,” he said.

Riley, who has been a strong advocate for more mental health resources, suggested having a “wraparound program” with the city.

“We need the School Board involved. We need the City Council involved. We need the Mayor’s Office involved on every level,” she said.

Faruk said in his closing statement that he hopes to continue the progress RPS has made over the recent years, as well as to continue to demand more funding from the state.

“Demanding that our public systems and our public dollars are supporting our children is something we should all be demanding and something I’ll demand if I’m elected to the School Board, or even if I’m not,” he said. “Demonstrating over and over that when we invest, we make progress and demand more investment as a result.”

Riley also said she will remain deeply involved with her community.

“I’m going to maintain myself in the capacity that I am in the community, finding people the resources and helping make residents last better in Richmond,” she said. “So win or lose, you will still see me in the 3rd District, riding my bike throughout the community. You will see me still out at the schools.”

Though Gibson is not seeking re-election to the School Board, she shared her excitement about the future of the 3rd District seat.

“I think our teachers and our students benefit when we’ve got folks that have been around for a while,” she said. “I’m excited to see how that work progresses into the next term.”