by Shawn Nowlin
Roanoke City’s 17 public elementary schools, five middle schools and two high schools annually comprise approximately 14,000 students while employing more than 1,000 individuals. The entire Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) Division is a huge puzzle and every single piece is important.
Many responsibilities come with being superintendent, the person responsible for overseeing everything of a school division. They include, among other things, implementing the Board’s vision in addition to hiring, supervising, and managing central staff and RCPS personnel. Since becoming RCPS Superintendent three years ago, Verletta White has worked tirelessly to prioritize safety for everyone and elevate the division in all facets.
When a student was shot outside the Berglund Center two years ago during the graduation ceremony rehearsal, White took decisive action. “We are one,” she explained, is more than just an RCPS slogan.
One of the most important tasks of any school board is to accurately assess the superintendent’s performance. Over the last 30 months, especially during the height of the pandemic, the board publicly expressed satisfaction with White’s work on multiple instances. Her contract was lengthened last summer through 2026.
It has been quite an academic year for White. Recently, she successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation and was chosen by fellow superintendents as the Region Six Superintendent of the Year. Nationally, for her innovation and determination efforts, she was named one of five superintendents across the country to keep an eye on.
“It feels good that the work of our district is being recognized nationally. That’s a big deal,” White said after learning the news. “We have so many people working so hard each and every day for our students, so for the work that we’re doing to be recognized nationally, it’s an honor.”
Thirty-one years ago, White’s teaching career began in Baltimore City. Within four years, she was working as a teacher in the nation’s 25 largest school district, Baltimore County. Before being hired as the RCPS Superintendent, White worked as a teacher, teacher mentor, assistant principal, principal, Central Office administrator, and chief academic officer.
After obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in education from Towson University, White furthered her education at the College of Notre Dame in Maryland, graduating with a Leadership in Teaching Master of Arts Degree.
Dominique Thomas says she has never run into White and has not had a pleasant encounter. Upon hearing of her recent accomplishments, Thomas says she wasn’t surprised in the least. “Good things happen to good people and I think Superintendent White is an incredibly talented and compassionate person,” she said. “I’ve personally seen her treat Ivy League scholars and high school dropouts with the same respect. We are lucky to have her as a representative of our community.”
