‘The will of the board’: Stephanie Rizzi steps down as Richmond School Board chair

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Stephanie Rizzi, the Richmond Public School Board member representing the city’s 5th District, stepped down from her role as board chair Monday night, citing “the will of the board.”

At the beginning of a scheduled school board meeting on Monday, July 1, Rizzi announced that she would be resigning from her role as school board chair, which she has held since 2021 .

“It appears that the consensus of my colleagues is that I no longer serve as chair,” Rizzi said of her decision. “And because of that — and because I do not want to be a distraction to this district, or to the work of the district — I am deciding to resign.”

Rizzi said she remains proud of her work in this role and said she will return to serve the 5th District in August.

Fellow board member Cheryl Burke thanked Rizzi for her service and said she did good work for the students of Richmond Public Schools.

“The decision that you’ve made — I don’t like it, but I have no other choice,” Burke said.

Rizzi then left the meeting room. After amending the agenda to allow for such a vote, the board proceeded to elect its next chair.

Board member Shonda Harris-Muhammed nominated Dawn Page, the board member representing the 8th District, motioning that she should serve as chair through the end of 2024. The vote approving her election was unanimous.

Her fellow board members then swapped her and Rizzi’s name cards and waited for Page to take the school board chair’s seat at the center of the table before the meeting proceeded.

Rizzi previously posted a statement announcing her intent to vacate the role on Facebook on June 28:

“Hello all. My colleagues plan to vote that I step down as School Board Chair on Monday. Though it was a thinly veiled secret, I got a call today that confirmed it. I have had time to process and accept the decision, and I honestly did not want the public to be blindsided either. Please know that I have been completely honored to serve (it was a mission and a dream come true), and I will continue my service as 5th District Representative with all the love I have to give. My family will be there as support on Monday, so I will be leaving the meeting early. Just know that I will return and that I am always in service.”

Former RPS School Board Chair Stephanie Rizzi

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