RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A member of Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras’ cabinet — Chief of Staff Michelle Hudacsko — has reportedly submitted her resignation.
In a letter sent to Kamras and the Richmond School Board, Hudacsko explained the reasoning for her resignation. While she described her five years of service as a “privilege” and said she was “grateful” to work under Kamras, she said some members of the school board had created a “hostile and toxic work environment.”
“The frequent actions that some Board Members take to dismantle progress and intentionally set the Administration up to fail, along with the mean-spirited personal attacks, threats, and unfounded accusations have made doing this work nearly impossible,” Hudacsko’s letter reads. “Our students are the ones paying the price.”
Hudacsko did not specify which board members she believed were doing a “deep disservice to RPS students and families.”
“Michelle Hudacsko is absolutely the hardest working person in RPS. What she has accomplished for our students is second to none,” said Jonathan Young, board member of the 4th district. “I encourage the District, beginning with the School Board, to demonstrate enough maturity to self-reflect and to genuinely solicit Michelle’s counsel relevant to our many shortcomings.”
Kenya Gibson — board member for the 3rd district — provided her own extended statement following the announcement:
“Like my board colleagues, I am thankful for Ms. Hudacsko’s service. She was incredibly responsive to families, which is no small task in a district with so many needs.
While I am very appreciative of her work, I was disappointed when I read her letter of resignation. Unlike DC public schools where Ms. Hudacsko worked before joining us here, Richmond Public Schools is governed by a democratically elected board. Democracy is not served when our elected officials are labeled as hostile when asking important questions and pushing for accountability.
This is especially concerning because nationally school boards are under attack by right wing and corporate interests that do not benefit from bottom up governance. Any administration that comes to Richmond will have to prioritize democratic buy-in as part of their planning, as has every administration before them. It does not serve schools or students to undermine elected leadership.”
Hudacsko was announced as Kamras’ chief of staff in March 2018. Prior to Kamras becoming Richmond Public Schools’ superintendent, Hudacsko had worked under him in the Office of Human Capital as the Deputy Chief of IMPACT.
“The interactions between the School Board and the Administration are not the RPS story,” Hudackso’s letter goes on. “For me, the RPS story is told via a special RPS family I have become close with this year — six children, ages 2 to 16, in four of our schools. They experience challenges, as many of our kids do; however, they are resilient and happy; smart and amazing. One of them is thriving in her first days in preschool, another is following her dream of becoming a nurse (and getting her certification at RTC). Serving them — and 22,000 other children like them — to ensure that they have the opportunity to live the life they desire — has been the honor of a lifetime.”
