OPINION: Magnolias and Mendacity
School Board and city officials need to seize the moment and embrace solutions rather than age-old slugfests when building new schools.
Spring has arrived and the air is filled with pollen, the smells of magnolias and the sounds of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Richmond Public School Superintendent Jason Kamras caterwauling in the wind.
They’re upset that a majority of School Board members voted April 12 to “have schools build schools.” During a recent news conference at George Wythe High School, Stoney promoted the notion that School Board members who voted in favor of the resolution were somehow denying students a new George Wythe High School. As proof, he pointed out that last October, right before the election, he announced he wanted to build a new Wythe High School.
Student, community members protest school boardâs George Wythe High rebuild plan
Group protests George Wythe High plan By Terrance Dixon | April 23, 2021 at 7:54 PM EDT - Updated April 23 at 7:54 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Students and community members took to the streets to protest plans for a new school in Richmond. But this protest wasnât against building a new George Wythe High, it was against how the school board plans to do it.
Friday afternoon, George Wythe senior Corey Stuckey and several dozen community members took Broad Street by storm.
âToday is about listing our demands and making sure our demands because Iâm tired of getting tired,â said Stuckey.
Sarina Faizy LL.M. ’21 has broken barriers, but she has also braved criticism, survived serious injury from an IED and faced threats on herself and her family. She has experienced personal losses, including that of her mother at an early age, and more recently a powerful mentor and protector, Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq, who was assassinated by the Taliban while she was in the U.S. Courtesy photo
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Hide Caption by Kate Hoving, Reves Center for International Studies | April 22, 2021
Sarina Faizy LL.M. ’21 is by any and all accounts an extraordinary woman.
A leading international spokesperson and advocate for women’s rights and peace in Afghanistan, Faizy was only four years old when the Taliban established its rule in 1994 in her native Kandahar. For most of her life, her world has been one of intermittent war and restrictions impo
Advocates want Richmond to replace Wythe High School now
The Richmond School Board said a new timeline puts school construction at 2023.
By: WTVR CBS 6 Web Staff
Posted at 5:44 PM, Apr 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-19 17:44:34-04
RICHMOND, Va. A group of advocates told Richmond school leaders that children in the city cannot wait for their new school building.
Those advocates gathered Monday to call for swift action on the construction of a new George Wythe High School in South Richmond.
Four years ago the Richmond School Board included Wythe in its plan to redevelop several city facilities.
Recently, the board affirmed a timeline to begin construction of a new school building and 2023.
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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.