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Franklin City Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Tamara Sterling submitted a memo Friday, Sept. 23, announcing her resignation from the school division effective Nov. 30.

She addressed the memo to the Franklin City School Board, students, families, faculty, staff and community members.

“We have shared so many accomplishments over the last five years as we continued to accelerate, innovate and transform the lives of children!” she wrote. “My life has also been transformed as your leader. You have shown me that we are #StrongerTogether. The relationships that I’ve made with many of you will continue with me for the rest of my life. However, the time has come for me to move on personally and professionally. Today, I’m announcing my resignation from Franklin City Public Schools, effective Nov. 30, 2022.”

She continued by noting that she is excited to begin another chapter in her life. 

She dedicated much of the rest of the memo to reflecting “on the work that we accomplished together.”

Sterling became the Franklin school division’s superintendent in June 2017.

“When the FCPS Board took a chance on me as a first-time superintendent in 2017, I promised to move the division to ensure we met full accreditation,” she wrote. “During that time, my primary focus was to provide an instructional program that would propel FCPS off the Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education. In 2018, we as a community accomplished that goal and exited the Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Education and never looked back!”

Asked if she would like to share anything further with readers of The Tidewater News in connection with her resignation, Sterling declined at this time but expressed a desire to do so soon.

Franklin City School Board Chair Robert Holt confirmed that a special called meeting of the board will be held Thursday, Sept. 29, at 6 p.m. in the first-floor conference room at the school board office, which is located at 207 W. 2nd Ave. in Franklin.

Holt indicated the board will go into closed session for an unspecified amount of time and later return to open session to take action.

He explained the next steps the board needs to take.

“No. 1, we accept (Dr. Sterling’s) resignation, assuming the board votes to do that, and I feel they will,” he said. “The second thing, we will appoint an interim. And after a week or so, we’ll put our heads together about talking about a search process.”