Henrico School Board elects Shea as new chair, Irving as vice-chair
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Henrico School Board members unanimously elected Tuckahoe District representative Marice Shea as the board’s chair for 2025 and Three Chopt District representative Madison Irving as vice-chair at a Jan. 9 meeting.
Shea, who has previously served as both the board’s chair and vice-chair, thanked and acknowledged Varina District Representative Alicia Atkins, who served last year as the board’s first Black woman chair.
“I want to take a moment to thank Ms. Atkins for her thoughtful and diligent leadership over the last year,” Shea said. “It was a historic year with her serving as the first Black woman to be the chair…she has patiently led us through complex topics this year.”
Shea, a former physics teacher at Douglas S. Freeman High School, was first elected to the school board in 2019. In 2022, Shea announced that she had been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, but said that she planned to stay on the school board as long as her health allowed.
Irving, who currently teaches economics at James River High School in Chesterfield, was elected to the board in 2023, along with Fairfield District representative Ryan Young.
The school board also approved almost $1.2 million in School Improvement Grants from the Virginia Department of Education to be distributed to 20 elementary and middle schools in the district. The funds will be used to support reading and math tutoring efforts by training current staff, hiring tutors, purchasing supplies, and providing payment to teachers who will tutor outside of their contract hours:
• $199,100 to Glen Lea Elementary;
• $172,000 to Fair Oaks Elementary;
• $149,240 to Highland Springs Elementary;
• $72,000 to Elko Middle;
• $49,400 to Anthony P. Mehfoud Elementary;
• $48,128 to Fairfield Middle;
• $48,067 to Montrose Elementary;
• $48,030 to Douglas L. Wilder Middle;
• $48,000 to Harold Macon Ratcliffe Elementary;
• $48,000 to Henry Ward Elementary;
• $46,800 to Laburnum Elementary;
• $43,200 to Ridge Elementary;
• $42,929 to Brookland Middle;
• $40,300 to Varina Elementary;
• $27,903 to Quioccasin Middle;
• $23,463 to Jacob L. Adams Elementary;
• $10,594 to Hungary Creek Middle;
• $9,085 to Tuckahoe Middle;
• $922 to John Rolfe Middle.
Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
