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The marquee sign in front of Richmond s George Wythe High School. (Photo: Alan Rodriguez Espinoza/VPM News)
Tensions are high and continue to escalate between members of the Richmond school board and the city administration as a power struggle unfolds over school construction.
Last week, a majority of school board members approved a resolution introduced by Boardmember Kenya Gibson to shift full control over future school construction away from City Hall and to the school district. The legal repercussions of the vote remain unclear.
If binding, the “Schools Building Schools” resolution would give the school board full power over designing, planning and building new schools. It also gives the board control over the bidding process for new construction projects.
The Richmond Public School Board met last night virtually. (Screenshot: Facebook live stream)
On Monday, the Richmond school board approved a plan to return about 800 students to in-person instruction after spring break in April. The plan was approved by a 6 to 2 vote, with Board member Shonda Harris-Muhammed abstaining.
The district will prioritize “high need” students, particularly those with disabilities and English language learners at the elementary level. They will make up about 300 of the students coming back.
The other 500 students will attend in-person classes at RPS childcare centers, which will be granted expanded capacity. Kamras says the district will rely on non-teacher support staff to teach these in-person classes in order to avoid disrupting existing student-teacher relationships.
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George Wythe High School in Richmond. (Photo: Alan Rodriguez Espinoza/VPM)
The Richmond school board approved a spending plan from Superintendent Jason Kamras for almost $55 million in expected federal emergency stimulus funding.
The spending plan was approved by an 8 to 1 vote, with Board Member Kenya Gibson casting the single dissenting vote.
While the bulk of federal money would be spent during the next school year, RPS plans to use more than $15 million this year. A majority of this year’s funds, about $9 million, would go to facility enhancements to minimize the spread of COVID-19 spread in schools. These include new air filtration systems, soap and paper towel dispensers, hand sanitizer and additional custodial supplies.
A 2019 meeting of the Richmond School Board. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
Nearly six hours into its weekly work session, the Richmond School Board voted unanimously to approve parts of Superintendent Jason Kamras’ proposed budget for the 2021-2022 school year.
Board members only approved budget items that would be covered by recurring funding from the state and city governments. This amounts to about $9.8 million to give all employees both a permanent 2% raise and an annual 1.17% step increase, cover a rise in employees’ healthcare costs and pay for tuition for regional schools and other state programs.
The board voted Tuesday for part of the budget in order to meet a Feb. 19 deadline by which RPS must request the $9.8 million from the city and state. Now, Mayor Levar Stoney and City Council will consider the school board’s requests as part of Stoney’s citywide budget proposal.
Richmond School Attendance Improved, but Concerns Remain
School board members heard a presentation on student attendance data during a Tuesday meeting. (Source: Screenshot from Facebook)
The Richmond School Board reviewed updated attendance rates during a meeting last night. While rates have improved from earlier in the virtual school year, the board voiced disappointment and confusion.
Harry Hughes, RPS Chief Schools Officer, presented the attendance data for the first half of the 2020-2021 school year.
As of the 20th day of classes, in October, 21.2% of RPS students were on track to become chronically absent. That number has slightly decreased to 17.4% as of the 90th day of school this year. The current chronic absenteeism rate is about the same as this time last year, which was 16.9%.