“I think there are liabilities to consider with sending kids back into George Mason without doing anything,” said Menz-Erb, who said she felt compelled to act after touring the school.

What followed was a tense moment for a board that has prided itself on collegiality. Page left her spot at the head of the table to react personally to the proposals, accusing Doerr and Menz-Erb of being unfair and self-interested.

“I think it is unfair to the administration, not giving them the opportunity to vet this process, to plan properly,” Page said, after initially declining to even allow a discussion of facilities issues. “You want to play politics at the expense of our children.”

Page declined to elaborate in an interview Friday, and said she had not been in contact with either member to discuss the matter since the meeting.

“We have to allow the administration to properly vet these issues and come up with a plan,” Page said. “Look, no one wants the children learning in a deplorable facility; I’m a parent as well and I want what’s best for every child in the city of Richmond.”

What’s best extends beyond ripping out old bathrooms and patching peeling plaster, said Murray Withrow, a parent of three whose two older children attend George Mason.