Petersburg School Board responds to report about superintendent's departure: 'Misinformation'

PETERSBURG – The chairperson of the Petersburg School Board is discrediting what he called “misinformation” about the departure of school superintendent Dr. Tamara Sterling, claiming that she is just “on leave” and has neither resigned nor been fired.

The statement from Kenneth Pritchett breaks an almost weeklong silence by system leadership ever since social-media reports indicated that Sterling not only had left the job but was escorted off the property by law-enforcement officers on Feb. 23. It comes a day after The Progress-Index reported on the Petersburg City Public Schools’ refusal to respond to numerous inquiries from the newspaper about Sterling’s status.

It also is different from what Sterling recently posted on her LinkedIn page referring to herself as an “independent” education professional and putting her departure date from Petersburg as “February 2024.”

Meanwhile, a statement from Sen. Lashrecse Aird addressing "wrongdoing" in the city school system may shed some new light on why Sterling is either on leave or left. That statement applauding the system for "swift efforts to address" the situation was released 40 minutes after the school system made its public comment.

The statement from PCPS said it was "not our practice" to comment on personnel matters but felt compelled to do so after The Progress-Index's report.

“While it is not our practice to comment on matters regarding specific personnel, we feel it is necessary to respond to misinformation circulating in our community,” Pritchett said in the statement. “Dr. Tamara Sterling has neither submitted a formal resignation nor been terminated by the PCPS Board.  She is on leave at this time.”

The statement concluded that PCPS will provide an update “as soon as one is available and appropriate to do so.”

PCPS chief of staff Dr. John Farrelly is acting as superintendent in Sterling’s absence.

The statement from Aird, D-Petersburg, reads as follows: “It was concerning to hear about the alleged wrongdoing that has occurred at Petersburg City Public Schools. It is more important now than ever that we manage the resources for our students and their schools responsibly. I applaud the City of Petersburg School Board for their swift efforts to address and assess the circumstances and will continue to monitor this situation closely as it unfolds.”

Sterling was named Petersburg superintendent in September 2022. She came here from a similar post with the Franklin City Public Schools.

The next School Board meeting is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the system headquarters on South Boulevard.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Petersburg school system says superintendent on leave, not gone