Raley named chief of staff at VDOE

ROSLYN RYAN Editor

Nearly seven years after coming to Goochland County Public Schools, GCPS superintendent Jeremy Raley is preparing for his next chapter.

On March 22, Gov. Glenn Youngkin named Raley the Commonwealth’s next chief of staff to the superintendent of public instruction at the Virginia Department of Education.

The move will bring to a close a tenure during which the school division reached a number of milestones, including significant facility and safety improvements and both state and national recognition for academic excellence.

Under his leadership, GCPS was recognized as the top school division in the MetroRichmond area for four years by niche.com and as an Apple Distinguished School Division.

Raley also oversaw the approval and design phases of the new Goochland Elementary School, which is set to be completed next year.

food as a way to improve

Restaurant, own nings, each of which has its own theme. The first dinner is titled Spring Picnic and features items ranging from triedand-true deli favorites (egg salad sandwiches) to fancier—yet still healthy— fare like chicken caprese wraps and watermelon prosciutto salad. Other menus include the Soup and Salad Soi- ree, the Cinco De Mayo Fiesta and the Mother’s Day Celebration on May 12. These days, when she isn’t working out, completing her school work or experimenting in the kitchen, Hitaffer spends what little spare time she has

There were certainly significant challenges for Raley as well, including the COVID-19 pandemic that left school division leaders across the nation scrambling to continue educating students who were no longer allowed to attend school in person.

Raley has also had to contend with a number of controversial issues in recent years, including, most recently, challenges from parents and other community members regarding transgender bathroom policies and the books made available to students in the school libraries.

Even during the most difficult times, however,