Community honors beloved Richmond school leader at funeral service

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Friends, family and other community members gathered to mourn the death of Richmond Public Schools (RPS)'s Chief Academic Officer for Secondary Education, Solomon Jefferson, during a funeral service on Saturday.

The service was held at Saint Paul's Baptist Church at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13.

"To so many of us, Solomon was more than a coworker -- he was a leader, a mentor, a friend and, ultimately, a believer in the possibility of what education could be," Dr. LaTonya Waller, an RPS principal director who worked closely with Jefferson, said during the ceremony. "Solomon never lost sight of what mattered most -- and that was teaching, learning and people."

Jefferson passed away at his home in Chesterfield County on Nov. 24. He was 48 years old.

Solomon Jefferson, Richmond Public Schools' Chief Administrative Officer for Secondary Education. (Photo: Richmond Public Schools)

Solomon Jefferson, Richmond Public Schools' Chief Administrative Officer for Secondary Education. (Photo: Richmond Public Schools)

During Jefferson's tenure, the school division achieved its highest graduation rate in nearly a decade.

"I can confidently say that there are young adults in our community who would not have graduated, who would not be alive today, if not for Solomon and the work he did at RPS," Superintendent Jason Kamras said in a Nov. 24 letter announcing Jefferson’s death. "He loved his scholars deeply — loved spending time with them, loved finding ways to help them succeed, loved making sure they were supported every step of the way."