Petersburg Public Schools welcome new superintendent

PETERSBURG, Va. (WWBT) - Petersburg City Public Schools have announced the district’s newest superintendent, who is set to start on Dec. 1.

Dr. Tamara Sterling was chosen for her knowledge, leadership and commitment to students and staff that would best serve Petersburg City Public Schools students, employees and the community for years to come.

“I would like to thank State Superintendent Balow, Board President, Mr. Gecker, Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Ballard from the Virginia Department of Education for working with the board step-by-step through the process of hiring our next superintendent. The board gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of Dr. Julius Hamlin, Acting Superintendent, during the school division’s leadership transition,” said School Board Chair Kenneth L. Pritchett.

Sterling has been the superintendent of Franklin City Public Schools since 2017. Franklin City was one of Virginia’s lowest-performing school divisions when she was appointed. The division was put under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Education, but the following year, Sterling got the division out of the memorandum.

Before that, Sterling was a principal in Chicago, Illinois, Houston, Texas and Providence, Rhode Island. Sterling believes “all children are gifted, and the entire community must work collaboratively to remove the visible and invisible barriers that impede students from achieving the greatness they deserve.”

“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.