Category Archives: schools

A Positive Step For School Modernization

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Local media are reporting about the announced school funding plan from Mayor Stoney that should satisfy the 2017 School Modernization Referendum. The WRIC report includes these highlights of the plan:

Successfully provides $800 million of school capital investment over 20 years;
Does not rely on any real estate tax increase;
Includes $150 million of school capital investment funding based on the recently enacted 1.5% meals tax that is dedicated to Schools;
Allows for full compliance with all of the city’s existing Debt Policy Guidelines;
Provides significant capital funding for general non-school projects over the same 20-year time frame;
Relies on 2% growth in the city’s debt service budget commencing in FY 2024, a rate that is below that of historic inflation and is a fraction of the city’s recent growth in taxable real estate assessed valuation.

Paul Goldman, who was the author of the Put Schools First campaign and subsequent referendum (as well as the new one!) had this say:

Media/Stoney/Council/Democrats/Chamber finally understand the citizen led 2017 School Modernization Referendum. The Referendum effort had and has only one public spirited goal: Getting long denied RVA children out of decrepit, intolerable, immoral buildings conditions and into clean, modern, worthy facilities necessary to teach a true 21st century education. I knew – as did Richmond Crusade for Voters and Sierra Club – that City Hall, City Council, editorial writers, columnists, and Chamber of Commerce would not do it without putting the proverbial political gun to their heads. And if in the end City Hall, Council, editorialists, columnists, Chamber, et al join together to do the right thing, I will be cheering the loudest for them and give them all the credit.

So, wishing good fellowship for the holidays. We shall see more of the details of the Mayor’s plan when he presents it to City Council on January 14th. Let’s hope it includes lots of vision on including historic preservation, green building, and solar for our ailing school system.

Important Message To VCU’s Board Of Visitors

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From message:

Dear VCU Rector Hall,

In good faith the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has engaged in the VCU master planning process. We have repeatedly and respectfully made the request for written commitments that: 1). VCU will not encroach further south of W. Cary Street into the Oregon Hill Historic District, and 2). VCU will respect Oregon Hill by limiting the height of any buildings across Cary Street from the Oregon Hill Historic District to 3 or 4 stories.

Unfortunately, at this point VCU has not agreed to this reasonable request. We note VCU has made similar written commitments to the Fan and Carver neighborhoods. We do not understand why VCU is unwilling to offer a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with your adjacent neighbors to the south at the same time that VCU does have a MOU with the nation of Cuba. You are probably aware of the long history of encroachment into Oregon Hill by VCU.

We, therefore, respectfully ask that the VCU Board of Visitors agree to the reasonable request for these two written commitments so that the “Town/Gown” relationship between Oregon Hill and VCU can continue to prosper with mutual good will.

Sincerely,

Todd Woodson, President
Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association

VCU Siren Testing On Wednesday

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From VCU Police:

VCU SIREN TESTING / WEDNESDAY DEC 5: Virginia Commonwealth University will be activating its upgraded siren system on Wed., Dec. 5 at noon as part of its monthly siren testing in 2018. This includes sirens installed on the Monroe Park and MCV Campuses and a new siren at VCU Police headquarters, located at 224 East Broad Street.
The addition of a siren at VCUPD headquarters means VCU students, faculty and staff in facilities downtown, along with residents and businesses, will hear the signal more clearly than when the sirens were only located on VCU’s campuses. In a real emergency, the sirens are activated in conjunction with VCU’s other alerting technologies, including text messages. In a real emergency, updates are posted on alert.vcu.edu.

VCU students, faculty and staff can manage their VCU Alert texting and email preferences in the myVCU portal, under the “Manage Emergency Alerts” tab. Community members can sign up for VCU Alerts to receive text messages and/or emails at: https://alert.vcu.edu/signup/index.php.

Planning Commission Presentation

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Laurel Street neighbor, Charles Pool, on behalf of the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council, made a presentation to the City of Richmond Planning Commission at their meeting this afternoon. Above are slides from his presentation. They support and reiterate previous statements from Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council and the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association.

The Commission was considering both VCU’s master plan and an important ordinance, #2018-276, from Councilperson Agelasto that would require better public notification of rulings by the Zoning Administrator.

Coliseum Vs. Schools: Time For A New Referendum

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Well, this one has been bubbling for a while…but the Coliseum vs. Schools debate is about to rise to a new level. What? You say you don’t know what I am writing about? Click here for a quick refresher course.

Yesterday’s headlines made it pretty clear that Tom Farrell and VCU are going to play hard ball to make sure that their coliseum scheme comes first-

VCU Cancels University-wide Spring Commencement Ceremony

I was going to write a whole bit explaining this, but let’s allow Paul Goldman to do it:

Earth to RVA citizens: Why do think VCU is being denied use of the current Coliseum in May/2019 despite having used it for commencements since 1970’s? HINT: The Stoney/Farrell plan to use $500 million in PUBLIC RVA CITY money to build and finance a new Coliseum that will NOT be to owned by the city calls for demolishing the current Coliseum in March/2019! FACT: Farrell’s team is going around Richmond promising no-bid contracts to politically connected individuals if they will lobby the Council to ram thru this fiscally irresponsible Coliseum without giving RVA taxpayers a fair chance to weigh in. That’s why my citizen group is circulating the “Choose Children over Costly Coliseum” petition so you can sign it and put to Special Election vote as called for in the City Charter. Sign the petition! It’s your only way to truly be heard.

In other words, this is the ol’ fait accompli thing -“citizens can’t stop this new plan, it’s already been decided and in the works“…………. WRONG!

We can still make sure that the City of Richmond PUTS SCHOOLS FIRST! Before the coliseum. Before any other giant corporate welfare project.

What Goldman is referring to is his new City referendum effort to establish by law that the City has to put money from certain types of financing towards SCHOOLS FIRST. It will not be on the ballot this Election Day, but referendum supporters will be collecting signatures for a petition to get the new referendum on the ballot in 2019. It’s going to be interesting to see if a good coalition of grassroots can come together like the last time. Goldman is looking for more poll volunteers and donations for this new campaign.

And by the way, speaking of last time, that original PUT SCHOOLS FIRST referendum became law this year. Tick tock, Mayor Stoney, City Council, School Board. Citizens want to see a real school modernization plan come together before the end of the year- if the Education Compact can’t do it, then figure it on your own. Relying on increasing state funding only goes so far, when there is plenty of corporate welfare that should be cut anyway. Don’t be scared this Halloween, it’s time to lead and PUT SCHOOLS FIRST.

A Good First Year For The Open High Fall Festival

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While the morning was a bit droopy after last night’s rain, and I am sorry more neighbors did not take advantage, Open High’s Fall Festival was still a solid hit.

There was lots of great different kinds of chili for the chili-cook-off.

Tyler Meacham was one of the amazing musicians performing…here she does one of her own songs…

IMG_4901 from Scott Burger on Vimeo.

At any rate, here’s hoping that this tradition grows… perhaps next year the L’OPossum/OregonHil.net Jack-O-Lantern Contest can be incorporated into the festival…

Enrollment Process for Richmond Public Schools

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If you have school age children in the home, the open enrollment process for Richmond Public Schools starts today and ends November 30th. This allows families to enter a lottery to attend out of zone schools. The lottery for Patrick Henry School is from November 15 to December 15.

https://www.rvaschools.net/Page/5270