The Henrico County School Board is set for a historic new addition with next week’s election — its first African-American female member.

Four African-American women are running for the open seat in the Varina District —Alicia Atkins, Joyce L. Davis, Michelle Roots Henderson and Kandise N. Lucas.

They are seeking to replace John W. Montgomery Jr., the board’s chair, who is stepping down after serving three terms on the board.

Ms. Davis lost to Mr. Montgomery in a three-way race in 2007.

While the four campaigns have garnered a fair number of donations, the policies and proposals each candidate has advocated online and as they campaign door to door are the true focus of the race.

Ms. Atkins, tapping into her experience as a volunteer with the PTA and Meals on Wheels, has promised greater engagement if elected. Her campaign slogan is “Let’s FACE the Future Together,” with FACE meaning exploring the facts, taking action, inspiring change and ensuring quality education for Henrico students. She said if elected, she will review the factors affecting student achievement, develop and implement solutions to identified problems and building positive, healthy relationships between students, their families and their community that enable students to learn and grow.

Ms. Davis, a policy analyst, former educator and political ad- viser, has pledged “to build on the accomplishments and work that has been undertaken” by the School Board if she is elected. This includes allocating funds for initiatives to increase the number of accredited schools in the Varina District, building partnerships with organizations and businesses for programs that help students succeed in school and beyond, and supporting strategies aimed at ensuring school safety, lower suspensions and competitive compensation that brings and keeps quality teachers in Varina.

Ms. Henderson points to her experience as a teacher for more than 20 years and as a member of the Henrico County of Social Services Board as evidence of her qualifications and dedication to the district. She has promised increased resources to support students and teachers — from classroom assistants to greater at- tention on mental health care for students. She advocates for equity for schools in the Varina District in an effort to remove one of the “many obstacles and hurdles” children face in life.

Ms. Lucas, a former special education teacher, has had a conten- tious relationship with the Henrico School Board for years. She has clashed with the board in her roles as a parent and a special education advocate, fighting what she said are discriminatory policies that harm children.

She has called for greater accountability in operating the school system’s budget and floated the possibility of initiating career development for students in elementary school rather than waiting for middle or high school. She also has pledged to create a tutoring strategy to ensure that children from families unable to pay for private tutors still get the educational help they need.

Candidate profiles:

Voters should support me for the Henrico School Board because: I am a champion for equity and quality education. I have been endorsed by the Henrico Education Association, Richmond Association of Realtors and the current Henrico County School Board chair because I have a proven record of success in our schools and strategic plan for the future. I will use my education, life experiences, professional skills, compassion and leadership to benefit children, families and schools. My motto is Let’s FACE the Future Together. FACE is an acronym for Facts, Action, Change, Educate. Together, we will explore Facts, take Action and inspire Change to Educate all children. I will use this to move schools forward.

What do you see as the top two issues facing the district? Schools should engage every student in rigorous learning that prepares them for being a good citizen, college, work and life. The top two issues are implementing the HCPS strategic plan and teaching challenges. We must fix the cracks in our foundation to successfully implement the HCPS strategic plan. The issues to be addressed are Standards of Learning results, bullying, code of student conduct, suspension-expulsion and im- proving communication tools. Also, our teachers deserve better salaries, smaller classroom sizes, access to more educational resources and training opportunities to help balance the different learning needs of students.

How I plan to address those issues: I will align public school system strategies to accom- modate the careers of the future; advocate for policy changes on SOLs, code of student conduct/ suspension-expulsion and challenges our teachers are facing; and strengthen family engagement through partnerships with diversity and inclusion efforts and heightened Parent Teacher Association/ Parent Teacher Student Associations involvement. With allocated funding, I will provide programs to reduce bullying and test anxiety while strengthening the mental well-being of students.

Voters should support me for Henrico School Board because: Voters should support me as a candidate given my diverse experience as a policy adviser, public schoolteacher, criminal justice planner, probation officer and youth advocate. I will utilize my extensive skills gained in program management, policy development and budget to assist students, teachers and administrators. Given my work in government, I understand the process needed for collaboration and consensus building in policy development, planning and allocation of budgetary resources. My role as a policy adviser to elected officials and legislative analyst for development of local and state laws will assist me in effective decision-making.

What do you see as the top two issues facing thedistrict?1.Accreditationofschools:Thenumber of non-accredited schools in the Varina District have decreased, but too many non-accredited schools still exist. There also are too many schools with low reading scores and low academic achievement.

1. Suspension rates disproportionately affect students of color. Data shows that while there has been a decrease in racial disparity in discipline and suspensions in Varina District schools, suspensions remain at a high level and continue to dispropor- tionately affect students of color and those with disabilities. High rates of student suspensions lead to a greater risk of students dropping out of school and negatively affect scores.

How I plan to address those issues: I would advocate for allocations to create dedicated programs to improve student learning for all schools to meet accreditation standards. I would recommend programs aimed to decrease the suspension rates of students: 1) Mediation for certain level infractions; 2) Use of community-school partnerships and interventions for support services to at-risk students and families for delivery of mental health care, medical and social support services; 3) Community service programs used in lieu of suspension; 4) Review school district policies to identify policies in need of change; and 5) Offer training for school staff to teach skills in behavior management and student discipline.

Voters should support me for Henrico School Board because: I bring proven leadership and experience voters can count on. I’ve worked with children and youths for over 30 years, with more than 23 of those years serving the Varina community as an advocate, leader, mentor and teacher. I’ve represented Varina on the Henrico Social Services Board for the past eight years, two as chair. Varina is where I’ve lived and raised a family for over 27 years. My four children and four grandchildren have all attended or attend Varina schools. “Children Are My Business” is not just my brand, it is my passion.

What do you see as the top two issues facing the district? Diversity/cultural competency and inclusion. We need to work to develop a diverse faculty and staff that more closely resembles our community. There needs to be equal opportunities and equal access for all students, including those who may have specific physical, emotional and/ or behavioral needs.

How I plan to address those issues: By working with the members to form faith, community and corporate partnerships and allocate more resources to provide more support for our teachers as they work to meet the needs of each student.

Voters should support me for Henrico School Board because: I am the most qualified, experi- enced and have a proven track record of ensuring advocacy, accountability and access for all families throughout Henrico County Public Schools, specifi- cally in the Varina District. I am a licensed educator and administrator who is trained in evidence-based academic practices and socio-emotional interven- tions, as well as elevating and promoting educators within our profession. Finally, my capacity to ensure the proper and creative allocation of educational resources in order to maximize student achievement, educator performance and community engagement is undisputed. I am Varina’s voice.

What do you see as the top two issues facing the district?

1. The lack of the appropriate advocacy, accountability and access regarding the proper allocation of the educational, financial and human resources required to ensure student success as well as educator autonomy to meet the needs of our students.
2. The lack of skill and will of the district leadership to creatively and equally engage diverse communities, i.e. families of color, with disabilities, and that speak English as a second language; to dismantle the pre-school-to-prison pipeline; to ensure literacy by the third grade; as well as to provide the required mental health/behavior supports required by students, families and educators.

How I plan to address those issues: I plan to conduct a full evaluation of the allocation of financial, human and educational resources throughout the district; publicize the findings and work to equalize the distribution of all resources as needed to improve the “weakest links” throughout the district. In addition, I have and will continue to implement district and statewide reforms that mandate evidence-based intensive reading programs for all schools where our students “learn to read” so that they can “read to learn,” and mandate the allocation of district resources be based on student, family and educator need.