You have unique interests, expertise and experience; why not put them to work for education? Henrico Schools has a host of committees and advisory councils where civic-minded citizens can lend their knowledge to help students.
School Board advisory committees
Career and Technical Education Business Advisory Committee
The Henrico County Career and Technical Education — or CTE — Business Advisory Committee assists the Henrico School Board in developing broad educational policy for the school division with regard to CTE programs, services and activities. It provides a link between the school and industry and can provide advice on the many facets of CTE programs. The committee helps make CTE programs as efficient and effective as possible, so that the needs of businesses and students are met. For more information, contact Dr. Ingrid Grant, chief of school leadership.
Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee
The Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee — or EDAC — works to advise the Henrico School Board and superintendent on issues relating to diversity and equity throughout the division. Pursuant to EDAC bylaws, subcommittees may be established to accomplish the committee’s work to educate and empower community stakeholders with these efforts. Their work includes identifying and auditing areas of concern and making research-based recommendations to the School Board. These committees' activities help enhance educational equity and build relationships with people who traditionally encounter barriers to involvement. In addition, EDAC supports activities and celebrations throughout the year related to equity and diversity. For more information, contact Holly Coy, chief of staff.
Gifted Education Advisory Council
The Gifted Education Advisory Committee — or GEAC— comprises parents and legal guardians, teachers, counselors, administrators, students and community members. Members are appointed by the Henrico County School Board. Members represent each of Henrico's five magisterial districts and are appointed annually for a maximum term of three years. The primary role of the committee is to advise the School Board on matters relevant to the education of HCPS gifted students by studying the needs and concerns related to the education of gifted students; reviewing the implementation of the school division’s plan to meet these needs; and providing an annual report of its findings to the School Board. For more information contact Dr. Lesley Hughes, chief learning officer.
School Health Advisory Board
The School Health Advisory Board — or SHAB — assists the Henrico County School Board and superintendent develop school health policy, including nutrition and physical activity standards. The SHAB holds at least four public meetings annually and encourages participation by the HCPS community and general public to develop, implement and maintain wellness goals for HCPS students. Every three years, members assess the HCPS wellness program and report findings to the public as part of its annual presentation to the School Board. For more information, contact Dr. Lesley Hughes, chief learning officer.
Special Education Advisory Committee
The Special Education Advisory Committee — or SEAC — works with the School Board, administrators, parents, legal guardians and teachers responsible for special education programming for students receiving special education services. The SEAC comprises broad-based community representation including parents and legal guardians, students, professionals and educators. Members are appointed by the School Board for three-year terms. For more information, contact Dr. Lesley Hughes, chief learning officer.
Superintendent advisory committees
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee oversees the adequacy of the school system's internal controls and maintain a direct line of communication among the School Board, superintendent, independent external auditors and internal auditors. The Audit Committee consists of two School Board members and a citizen member. For more information, contact John Wack, chief financial officer.
Multilingual Learner Advisory Committee
The Multilingual Learner Advisory Committee was established in 2007 to facilitate discussion about the needs of multilingual learners and their families. The committee comprises a variety of stakeholders, including parents, interpreters, building leaders, classroom teachers, central office leaders, representatives from agencies that support refugees and health care providers. For more information, contact Dr. Lesley Hughes, chief learning officer.
Henrico Federal Programs Advisory Council
The Henrico Federal Programs Advisory Committee — or HFPAC — comprises parents, legal guardians and family representatives from Title I schools. The representatives work with family advocates to provide input on family engagement events for Title I families at their schools. Representatives from community partners also attend meetings, providing resources and information for parents, legal guardians and students. Quarterly meetings provide families and community partners with updates related to Title I. For more information, contact Dr. Lesley Hughes, chief learning officer.
Instructional Materials Review Committee
The Instructional Materials Review Committee is responsible for reviewing materials that the superintendent or his or her staff refers to it, in accordance with P7-05-008-R. The IMRC includes an HCPS School Board member, administrators, supervisors, library media professionals, teachers, parents and legal guardians. For more information, contact Dr. Lesley Hughes, chief learning officer.
Family and Community Engagement Committee
The Family and Community Engagement Committee aims to be intentional, impactful and transformative about programs and practices that empower all stakeholders, and to ensure optimum outcomes for student and family success. Using a collaborative leadership model, the FACE Committee facilitates communication among families, schools and the community. The committee focuses on programs and practices to provide the school division with feedback and insights. For more information, contact Adrienne Cole Johnson, chief of Family and Community Engagement.
Policy Committee
The committee reviews existing policies, recommends changes where necessary and proposes new policies for consideration by the Henrico School Board. Recommendations from the committee must comply with state and federal laws and are informed by the Virginia School Boards Association. The committee is an advisory body only; all recommendations must be debated and voted on by the Henrico School Board. For more information, contact Holly Coy, chief of staff.
Principal Advisory Committee
The Principal Advisory Committee comprises principals who meet to bring school-related concerns and recommendations to the superintendent. For more information, contact Dr. Ingrid Grant, chief of school leadership.
Strategic Plan Steering Committee
The Strategic Plan Steering Committee is currently a 22-member committee, and includes students, families, staff members, community members and School Board representatives from Henrico's five magisterial districts. When the division’s strategic plan needs development or revision, the Steering Committee reviews school division data and input received from broad stakeholder groups to determine areas of need, and to draft the goals and action steps of the plan. The School Board adopted the 2018-25 Strategic Plan, "Destination 2025" in June 2018 based on a proposed plan from the Steering Committee. Periodically, the Steering Committee reconvenes to propose updates to the plan that are needed to reflect the division’s priorities and areas of focus. For more information, contact Holly Coy, chief of staff.
Support Staff Advisory Committee
The committee comprises support staff selected by the HCPS Division Leadership Team. Members meet to bring concerns and recommendations to the superintendent. For more information, contact Holly Coy, chief of staff.
Teacher Advisory Council
The Teacher Advisory Council plays an important role in maintaining two-way communication between HCPS teachers and the Division Leadership Team. Committee members may serve two years and are selected by their building principals. For more information, contact Dr. Ingrid Grant, chief of school leadership.
Student Advisory Committee
The Student Advisory Committee includes students representing each HCPS high school who meet quarterly to refer school-related concerns and recommendations to the superintendent. For more information, contact Dr. Ingrid Grant, chief of school leadership.
External Committees
CodeRVA Regional High School
CodeRVA is a nontraditional regional public high school using innovative instructional approaches to change public education. CodeRVA rethinks the use of time, space and technology to provide opportunities for acceleration and college- and career-readiness, especially in the area of computer science. The CodeRVA School Board is currently represented by one school board member and one superintendent from each participating school division. The CodeRVA Board meets quarterly to receive a progress report from the executive director and stakeholders, receive budget updates and vote on various items.
Henrico County Self-Insurance Committee
The trustees of the Self-Insurance Committee provide general oversight to successfully implement Henrico County's Self-Insurance Plan. The committee consists of six members, at least one of whom is appointed after consultation with the HCPS superintendent. The current membership consists of a member of the Henrico Board of Supervisors, a member of the Henrico School Board, the deputy county manager for administration, the director of finance, the director of general services and the director of internal audit. For more information, contact John Wack, chief financial officer.
Vocational/Technical Education Foundation
The Henrico County Vocational/Technical Education Foundation Inc., is a volunteer, nonprofit 501-C3 corporation that provides support to HCPS career and technical education programs by providing real-life, hands-on experience to students involved in building and trades industry programs.
Henrico Education Foundation
The mission of the Henrico Education Foundation is to strengthen public education by advancing innovative programs and initiatives designed to improve student achievement. Through a dynamic public-private partnership with HCPS, HEF serves students across all HCPS grades and buildings. The foundation's unique role is vital to meeting the educational needs of our community’s children while providing partnership opportunities for businesses, community leaders and citizens to directly support public schools.
Henrico Police Athletic League
The Henrico Police Athletic League Program is a state-licensed, nonprofit, youth crime-prevention program that uses educational, athletic and recreational activities to create trust and understanding between police officers and young people. HPAL is a member of the National Police Athletic/Activities League.
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School Regional School Board
The Regional School Board of the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies comprises one school board member from each of the school's participating localities and each school division's corresponding superintendent. The primary purpose of the school's board is to select the director of the school, approve the budget and set policies that guide the school and represent and interpret its objectives, goals, programs and needs.
Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission was created in 1976 to engage the community and serve as an advocate for the advancement of programs, facilities and services. The Henrico Division of Recreation and Parks works to enhance the county's quality of life and foster a sense of well-being and community for Henrico County residents. This is accomplished through the management of resources and by facilitating leisure services and recreational opportunities in safe and well-maintained environments.
