Richmond Education Association

We are posting here the election results for the Collective Bargaining Negotiation Committee, as well as the bargaining topics which have been selected by REA members. Richmond Public Schools (RPS) has declined to bring topics of their own to the bargaining table.

The following REA members will be responsible for negotiating the first union contract for RPS employees belonging to the bargaining unit specified:

Teacher Pay Scale Negotiation Committee Members:

Patrick Korte (HS)

Melvin Hostman (HS)

Wanda Anderson (HS)

Runner up: Tomorrow Lofton Pickens (HS Seats)

Charlotte Hayer (Department Head)

Runner Up: Summer Schultz (Department Head)

School Counselor: Bernita Williams

Melody Winters (interpreter)

Clara Bannister (Library Media Specialist)

Beth Almore (ES)

Kat Shearer (ES)

Elizabeth Jorgensen-Best (ES)

Melissa Johnston (Coordinator International Baccalaureate Program)

Kheli Morgan (ES runner up)

Anne Forrester (MS)

Stephen Straus (MS)

David Corey (MS)

Robert Regan (MS runner up)

Kiesha King (Interventionist)

Robin Keegan (Interventionist Runner Up)

Katina Harris* (REA President)

Darrell Turner* (REA Vice President)

Instructional Assistants (IAs) Negotiations Committee Members:

Kacy Mosby

Jamie Nolan

Katina Harris* (REA President)

Darrell Turner* (REA Vice President)

School Nutrition Services (SNS) Negotiations Committee Members:

Shan Lighty (Cafeteria Manager)

Yolanda Hargraves (Cafeteria Manager)

Roslyn Anderson (Cafeteria Manager)

Katina Harris* (REA President)

Darrell Turner* (REA Vice President)

Care & Safety Associates (CSA) Negotiations Committee Members:

Rosalind Moss (Zone Supervisor)

Edward Gore (Lead Associate)

Brukisha Corbin (Associate)

Joanne Ortiz (Associate)

Shondisha Hopson (Zone Supervisor)

Ronald Walters (Associate)

Katina Harris* (REA President)

Darrell Turner* (REA Vice President)

Issues for Teachers’ Pay Scale Employees, IAs, and SNS:

1. Define additional duties/compensation for additional duties.
2. Salary Increase.

Issues for CSAs:

1. Salary Compression.
2. Increase Stipend for Lead Associates.

Attention Negotiating Committees for Collective Bargaining: Your respective ground rules and bargaining topics introduction meetings will be held on 7.27.22 @ Huguenot HS (room 210). Negotiation committee members are only expected to stay for their meeting, which will not last more than 45 mins. Please note times posted below:

Teacher Pay Scale Members: 10:30 AM
Instructional Assistants: 11:30 AM
Safety and Care: 1:30 PM
School Nutrition: 2:30 PM

For Immediate Release

April 16, 2022
Contact:  Boaz Young-El, REA UniServ Director, 804-590-6980, byoungel@veanea.org

The Richmond Education Association has won an election of city school employees, earning the right to become the exclusive representative in negotiations with Richmond Public Schools under Virginia’s new collective bargaining law. REA members and staff will now negotiate contracts for Richmond’s licensed personnel, instructional assistants, food service workers, and security and safety employees.

“The change in Virginia’s law that legalized contract negotiations for public employees was a long time in coming,” said REA President Katina Harris, “and REA is proud and delighted to go to the table on behalf of our city’s educators and students. As we’ve said all along, when educators have a voice at the table, it’s a win for everyone.”

The election, held April 15-16, was the first of its kind in Virginia in more than 40 years, made possible by General Assembly action and a resolution agreeing to collectively bargain with school employees passed by the city’s school board last December.

The Richmond City School Board will certify REA as the exclusive representative at their next meeting, clearing the way for bargaining to begin.

The Richmond Education Association (REA) has received confirmation that the workers of Richmond Virtual Academy (RVA) have won an important victory: RVA will be converted into a school of record. This was won through grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts led by RVA employees. Below is the message RVA employees received from RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras:

Dear Richmond Virtual Academy Staff,

Thank you for your grace and understanding as we continue the redesign of Richmond Virtual Academy (RVA) for the 2022-23 school year. I apologize for any anxiety you may have experienced as a result of any miscommunication over the last several weeks.

During the School Board meeting on April 11, we received important guidance that I want to share with you. The Board authorized me to begin the process of converting RVA into a school of record, and affirmed its previous decision that RVA will have a total of 30 staff members and be funded by the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) next year. (Once RVA becomes a school of record, it will be funded by operating dollars like all other schools.)

One remaining question is what population of students RVA will serve next year. The School Board will return to this matter at its next meeting on April 25. The final program design will drive staffing, and we anticipate posting all positions online in TalentEd by May 1.

As I shared at the meeting on Monday, I am guaranteeing a job for all RVA staff at RPS for the 2022-23 school year. If you would like to be considered for one of the 30 positions at RVA next year, please complete the online application. If you are interested in exploring other opportunities, please continue working with the Talent Office to identify a transfer. As with all transfers, we strive for mutual agreement between the staff member and the new supervisor. That said, RVA staff members who have not secured a transfer by June 15 will be placed into a vacant in-person position commensurate with their licensure status. For staff members in positions that do not require licensure, we will place you in a vacancy that matches your pre-RVA role.

If you have specific questions or concerns about the transfer or placement process, please contact Monika Haskins, Recruiting Manager, (mhaskin@rvaschools.net) or Helen Mickens-DeMena, Director of Talent Acquisition, (hmickens@rvaschools.net).

With appreciation,
Jason Kamras
Superintendent

The Richmond Education Association (REA) supports the Richmond Virtual Academy (RVA) and its efforts to maintain equitable options to meet the diverse needs of Richmond Public Schools’ students and families.

RVA has provided a safe space for students to learn and thrive without fear of direct or indirect exposure to COVID-19. Just as transmission of the virus has not been reduced to zero, the need for RVA has not disappeared.

In preparation for structural changes to RVA for the 2022-2023 school year, Richmond Virtual Academy employees were given assurances by RPS Leadership that every effort would be made to provide a seamless transition for displaced RVA employees. In fact, employees were initially informed that they would need to compete with the general public for employment in RPS.

The Richmond Education Association stands in solidarity with RVA and its leadership in asking that the RPS School Board take actions that will continue to be beneficial for our students and colleagues.

We, the Richmond Education Association (REA), stand in solidarity with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as they embark on their journey to get collective bargaining as Richmond City employees. Collective bargaining gives workers a voice at the table. It gives workers a say in their working conditions and improves the services provided to the public. Collective bargaining will help Richmond attract and retain city employees. We call on the Richmond City Council to support city employees by passing a strong collective bargaining ordinance.

The Richmond Education Association (REA) understands that George Wythe High School has a dynamic history in Richmond and its students are pivotal to the future of our city.  

We imagine the future of George Wythe to be bright, however it is imperative that all stakeholders work together in order to achieve our goal of providing a high quality education and safe facilities to our students. We call on the Richmond City Council to transfer funds to the Richmond School Board. We are asking for the school board and city council to work together in order to approve the initial funding for the new George Wythe High School and also agree to the 1800 seat capacity.

The REA believes that every child has the right to a high quality public education in an environment that is safe and conducive to learning.  To that end, it is our belief that ALL parties MUST come together to make this a reality for George Wythe High School students and staff.  In times of such divisiveness in our world, our children deserve the best educational environment at all costs.  With that in mind, we stand with the George Wythe High School family and demand that all parties involved take a breath, remember what you were elected or hired to do, and be the bigger person.  Sometimes we have to take a step back to do the right thing.  

As our district navigates the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial that we listen to the voices of school-based staff. The REA has composed the following list of recommendations based on the input of the people who work in our buildings with students on a day-to-day basis. It is our hope that RPS will adopt these changes in the interests of health, safety, and staff retention.

• The district must establish metrics that state the minimum number of required staff needed to provide instruction, maintain student safety, and operate each school building effectively.

• Mandated service providers (LIEP, interventionists, Exceptional Education) should no longer be asked to serve as substitute teachers. Doing so prevents them from providing required services to students.

• Schools should be provided with a more equitable process for replenishing PPE. 

• An easier and more equitable process/plan(Each site should have 3 individuals that will pick-up on Wednesdays, if impossible, then sites can partner pick-up) for replenishing PPE (current process is stated to be that each school picked up needed supplies ever Wednesday from a designated location).

• Virtual learning must be expanded so that all students who request a spot and can demonstrate success in a virtual learning environment have the opportunity to do so. 

• Pay for instructional assistants must be increased, and additional pay must be provided to compensate them for providing coverage for colleagues. 

• The district must allow teachers the autonomy to set their own pacing. This will allow them to better meet the needs of their students.

• RPS should institute a temporary pause on all observations and evaluations that are not mandated by VDOE. The district should seek to promote a positive and supportive culture in buildings. 

• The district needs to devise a plan to provide more mental health support for students and staff.

For Immediate Release
January 26, 2022
Contact: byoungel@veanea.org

The Richmond Education Association (REA) stands in solidarity with Starbucks Workers United of the Greater Richmond Region in their struggle to unionize their workplaces and win the rights that all working people deserve. In December 2021, the REA won a campaign to reinstate collective bargaining rights for the employees of Richmond Public Schools. At the time of our victory, we proudly said that “Richmond is a union town!” We meant it: every worker in the city of Richmond has the right to form a union, and every worker deserves a say in the terms and conditions of their employment, however, to make this a reality we must stand united as a labor movement.

We know that many education workers rely upon Richmond’s baristas to get through their day. We stand in solidarity with Richmond’s Starbucks workers as they struggle to win dignity in their workplace, to collectively negotiate their contracts, and to expand economic justice and democracy for all working people.