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# Holton, McDonnough stress importance of teachers, but differ on details at debate
- URL: https://www.richmonder.org/holton-mcdonnough-stress-importance-of-teachers-but-differ-on-details-at-debate/
- Published: 2026-09-18T03:18:12.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-18T03:18:12.000Z
- Description: Richmond School Board candidates Anne Holton and Jackie McDonnough made their case to voters Thursday night at a debate held at the Ann Hardy Community Center.
- Author: Michael Phillips
- Tags: Education, #lead

Richmond School Board candidates Anne Holton and Jackie McDonnough made their case to voters Thursday night during a debate held at the Ann Hardy Community Center.

Holton painted a picture of a school system that has room for improvement, but one that has been actively making progress since she joined in February.

McDonnough was more critical of the district's direction, at one point stating that students in RPS are "not being adequately prepared" for either college or the workforce.

McDonnough played up her ties to Richmond's 6th District, noting that she has lived and taught within its borders and maintains strong relationships with residents.

Holton, meanwhile, cited her experience managing large budgets at the state level, first as the secretary of education and later president of George Mason, and her experience as a lawyer and judge.

The candidates found common ground on a handful of issues. Both would like to see screen time sharply reduced for students, particularly younger ones. They also both voiced their support for collective bargaining at a time when the teachers' union is at a contract impasse with the district.

Finding and retaining strong teachers was a point of emphasis, but the candidates differed on current success levels.

"We have been bleeding staff," McDonnough said. "We hire well, then lose them. There's something wrong."

Holton said this year's annual survey of teachers and staff showed "an overwhelming majority of our teachers and staff are satisfied, and that metric has been improving."

"It's not easy, and we need to keep working at it," she said. "But we are making progress."

The budget was another topic, as the school system faced several cuts this year in order to balance its finances.

McDonnough took aim at central office positions when asked where she'd look to cut.

"$200,000 salaries for people in director positions is not necessary," she said. "That's one of the places we could be making cuts."

Holton said even cutting the entire leadership team would only be "a drop in the bucket," but added, "I think our leadership team is worth what we pay them." She cited a centralized reading curriculum which has led to testing gains, especially among English learners.

Holton also said she's pleased with the district's new auditor, Ziauddin Ahmed, and believes that in his role reporting to the school board he can help find waste and fraud.

McDonnough called for a full forensic audit into RPS finances, done by an outside financial firm.

"A forensic audit is really for criminal matters in court," Holton countered, adding that "it's much cheaper to do in-house, and much more appropriate."

While McDonnough was critical of Superintendent Jason Kamras, she stopped short of saying she would vote to remove him when his contract expires.

"I would have to vote based on the results of a more thorough evaluation that involved multiple stakeholders," she said.

McDonnough said a lack of oversight was a contributing factor in the alleged embezzlement by former facilities director Bobby Hathaway.

"The issues should have been picked up with proper evaluation," McDonnough said. "I think there's a problem there with accountability. Are division managers on their own to do what they want to do? I think there's a problem with oversight."

Holton noted that since she joined the board in February, Hathaway has been removed.

She also said that as a former lawyer, she hopes she can push the district's lawyers to be more forthcoming in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. The Richmonder sued the school district for the release of the investigation into Hathaway, ultimately [winning its disclosure](https://www.richmonder.org/hathaway-report-rps-director-asked-subordinates-to-help-him-disable-security-cameras-dozens-of-purchases-remain-unaccounted-for/).

"As a lawyer, I can help challenge the legal advice we get, which is sometimes on the very cautious side, and balance that against the public interest and the right to know," she said.

Voter interest was high, with about 100 people packing into the community center on a rainy evening to watch the debate.

The debate was filmed by VPM, which will release a copy of the recording in the coming days. (This story will be updated with that link when available.)

Early voting starts on Friday, with Election Day set for Nov. 3.

*Contact Michael Phillips at* [*mphillips@richmonder.org*](mailto:mphillips@richmonder.org)*.*