Shonda Harris-Muhammed to leave Richmond School Board

Richmond School Board Member Shonda Harris-Muhammed (6th District), announced that she will be leaving the Board to become the superintendent of a Virginia school division.

“The door has opened for me to move into the next season of my professional life and I’m going to take it, because I deserve it,” she said. 

She also announced that she will be joining Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi’s transition team. 

The School Board and members in the audience broke the traditional rule of using “spirit fingers” rather than applause. 

December’s Board meeting, which concluded on Tuesday, will be her last, she said. She currently works as Southampton County Public Schools’ coordinator of pupil personnel. She did not disclose which school district she will become superintendent of. 

Harris-Muhammed joined the School Board in 2021 and ran unopposed in the most recent School Board elections last year. Her term was set to end in 2029. 

“Welcome to the club,” RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras told her. 

Per Virginia law, the remaining Board members will choose an interim appointee, who will fill the role until a special election can be held.

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org