PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — Petersburg City Public Schools has named a new superintendent after the previous superintendent resigned in May to take a position with North Carolina’s Department of Education.
Dr. Tamara Sterling will take over the position on December 1, following a transitional period where she will work alongside acting superintendent Dr. Julius Hamlin.
According to a press release from the school division, Dr. Sterling was chosen from a field of 27 candidates. The school division emphasized her experience in Franklin City as one of the deciding factors in their choice.
Franklin City was one of the worst-performing school divisions when she arrived, subject to a “memorandum of understanding” with the state department of education, setting requirements for the school division to become fully accredited.
She arrived there in 2017, and in 2018, the school division received full accreditation for the first time in 8 years.
“My vision is to provide children with the highest level of education. I’m very big on opportunities and I want to fill the gaps as students move forward as productive citizens,” said Dr. Tamara Sterling.
Petersburg now faces a similar situation as Franklin City — according to the Virginia Department of Education, only Petersburg High School is fully accredited, with all four local elementary schools and Vernon Jones Middle School having conditions set on their accreditation.
That means the school division is required to submit a plan to the state department of education outlining the improvements they’ll make to bring student performance up.