From WTVR news:
The Richmond School Board has been considering closing two schools, as part of recent budget cuts.
Tonight, in a special meeting, board members put forth a proposal to close Clark Springs Elementary School and the Adult Career Development Center.
The plan calls for students from Clark Springs to be moved to John B. Cary elementary school.
A public hearing will be held at a later date.
From a neighbor:
I see that the School Board has decided to close Clark Springs Elementary School. This is the school near to Oregon Hill where we voted last election. Any thoughts on how this could affect our neighborhood? They still must have a public hearing. Could this cause a chilling factor on families with children moving to the neighborhood?
How many students from Oregon Hill attend Clark Spring? I’m under the impression that many of the OHill kids go to the neighborhood private school.
Also – check out the VDOE report cards for each school…
Clark Springs
https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=123&schoolName=174
J.B.Cary
https://p1pe.doe.virginia.gov/reportcard/report.do?division=123&schoolName=208
The scores are comparable between the 2, with Cary maybe having a slight edge.
Check out the “School Safety” section, Cary appears to be significantly more orderly/safe.
Perhaps closing Clark would end up zoning Oregon Hill for a slightly better elementary school.
At the OHNA meeting last night, some of the conversation speculated that Clark Springs was being closed to make way for a developer or VCU.
The School Board’s proposal to close Clark Springs Elementary School has got some Oregon Hill residents trying to… http://t.co/XAD9iNndUZ
Many of the children in Oregon Hill are not eligible to attend St. Andrews. St. Andrew’s School serves families whose adjusted gross annual income does not exceed approximately 200% of the federal poverty guidelines as published each year. If you are above this then your child is not eligible. I
Some children attend Clark Springs, but the majority are either homeschooled or attend an out of district school through Open Enrollment.
I do not live in the neighborhood and I’m not exactly sure of the precise definition of Oregon Hill’s boundaries, but according to documents prepared by the RPS consulting group for the rezoning process last year there is not one single household south of the Downtown Expressway between Hollywood Cemetery and Belvedere that sends kids to Clark Springs. There are a few households that already send kids to Cary and there are several others that send kids to Fox. So it seems like, if anything, this would be a perceived as a positive move by most Oregon Hill families with school aged children since they are already deciding to send their kids to other schools (including Cary)
If Clark Springs School is chosen for closure, use it as a job-employment training center. Please do not create an abandon building in the city. When the meetings are scheduled about the issues concerning school closures, please have them when parents can attend 7:30PM and have optional ways for them to leave their comments and have contacts other than e-mail. Thank you.
Clark Springs is the reason why we just sold our house and are moving out of the OH. John B Cary isn’t a very good school either. It’s very unfortunate that we can’t send our kids to our neighborhood school. Open enrollment isn’t always a guaranteed possibility, and if schools are closing I’m sure the few open spaces in Fox, Munford or Holten will get filled up quicker.
This is a prime location for solar panels!
From the RTD:
Clark Springs Elementary School
Where it is: 1101 Dance St.
Who’s there: 316 students, PK-5
Why it’s on the list: It’s under-enrolled and draws poorly from its zone (279 of 575 in-zone students attended city schools other than Clark Springs in the 2011-12 school year). It and Cary could be combined, and Cary has a nicer building, better amenities and a more vocal and active group of supporters.
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/local/education/three-richmond-schools-mentioned-for-closure/article_61063323-8f24-5f02-891b-b5c1a2c3972b.html
The closing may not impact students not going there but what are they “repurposing” it to!!!!!!!!!
Kim Gray intends to move Alternative High School. Those are the students just one step from expulsion!!!!
They plan on moving the alternative High School to Clark Springs. This means High School Students slated for expulsion get one last chance in Our backyard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!