We add our voice to those who believe Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras should have no more than a two-year contract extension.

When he was hired by the Richmond School Board in November 2017 and offered a three-year contract that started Feb. 1, 2018, he knew it wouldn’t be a cakewalk leading a public school system like Richmond.

He acknowledged at the time the grave responsibility he was accepting for educating the 24,000 students in Richmond schools, the majority of whom are children of color who come from families that are economically disadvantaged.

When Mr. Kamras arrived, the school system had a poor record of student achievement, with only 19 of the city’s 44 schools fully accredited and only 75 percent of its students graduating on time.

Today, RPS has made little progress as measured by the numbers. Only 20 of the 44 schools are fully accredited and the four-year graduation rate has declined to 71.6 percent.

Sure, the data may not reflect all the positive but immeasurable changes Mr. Kamras has brought to RPS, including working with Mayor Levar M. Stoney and Richmond City Council to increase funding for the school system and construct three new school buildings; boosting bilingual services and resources for a growing Latino student population; creating a position and task force to help teachers help students deal with years of trauma; and launching a variety of programs to help address social issues, such as homelessness, that are obstacles to learning.

We also commend Mr. Kamras for his continuing outreach to the community and engagement with parents, particularly with the renaming of several schools and, critically, the five-year strategic plan he and the School Board developed.

But even under the plan’s early goals, the school system has missed several marks, including increasing the graduation rate by 10 percent each year.

We acknowledge that the pandemic has turned RPS and school systems across the nation on their heads. And we give Mr. Kamras kudos for ensuring students now have the laptops and hotspots needed to connect virtually to instruction.

He also worked out a successful system to ensure delivery of breakfast and lunch to students and families who depend on that help, particularly during the pandemic.

While all of this is good, the people of Richmond need to see results — measurable results. Unfortunately, the data doesn’t yet show the turnaround we all are hoping for.

We believe Mr. Kamras should be given another two years to work toward progress and the benchmarks he and the School Board estab- lished in the strategic plan. After that, any further extension should be carefully considered.