Cooper selected to lead Henrico County School Board again

Fairfield District School Board member Roscoe Cooper, III, who served as the board’s chair in 2020, will again serve in that role for the remainder of 2021.

By a 4-1 vote, the board selected Cooper to assume the position, which Three Chopt District member Micky Ogburn vacated earlier this month. Ogburn gave up the title in the wake of backlash to her decision to share a racist Facebook post, which she quickly deleted and said she hadn’t fully read initially.

Tuckahoe District member Marcie Shea, the board’s vice chair, nominated Cooper. Following a four-minute speech, Varina District board member Alicia Atkins nominated herself. Atkins cast the only dissenting vote on Cooper’s nomination.

“Our potential, HCPS staff potential and students’ potential is worth cultivating when times are great, and when times are devastating. I have life-changing, culture-shaping, even heaven-touching-Earth type of influence,” Atkins said prior to nominating herself, explaining that the latter referenced her faith in God.

Atkins concluded her remarks by saying that “regardless of who’s the chair – we’re all gonna work together moving forward.”