Some Richmond Public Schools on a list of shovel-ready construction projects eligible for possible federal stimulus money may also be bulldozer-ready, according to the school system’s master plan.
The November 2007 master plan — adopted during the School Board’s contentious battle with then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder over closing of schools — details planned renovations, closures and rebuilding projects at dozens of Richmond schools.
But among those schools slated for demolition and replacement in the master plan are nine buildings also included on the school system’s more recent list — prepared in anticipation of federal stimulus money — of facilities planned for upgrades and repairs.
The schools are Huguenot High, Binford Middle, Fairfield Court Elementary, Woodville Elementary, Swansboro Elementary, Thompson Middle, Southampton Elementary, Clark Springs Elementary and the Adult Career Development Center.
The master plan calling for their demolition was adopted by the previous School Board and has not been revised by the current board. At a recent meeting, administrators told members that there was no need to revisit the 2007 plan, School Board Vice Chairwoman Kimberly Gray says.
Gray suggests that schools administration moving forward with a project list that contradicts the master plan could be a waste of money.
Schools spokesman Alfonzo Mathis says all of those shovel-ready projects are necessary, because the soonest any of the schools on the master plan list might be replaced is 2015.
“Most of these are projects that … you can’t just let deteriorate until 2015,” Mathis says.
At least one building on the list, Southampton Elementary, is slated to close because of declining enrollment. According to the project list, Southampton would seek $135,000 for bathroom renovations, as well as a portion of $580,000 sought to replace roofs at four schools. That school isn’t scheduled to close, though, until 2017.
In all, $2.6 million are sought for repairs to schools slated to be bulldozed.
Thursday, September 03, 2009 1:39:43 AM by Carol A.O. Wolf
Anonymous at 10:18 pm. I agree wholeheartedly with you. Please contact me at http://saveourschools-getrealrichmond.blogspot.com. I promise to keep your identity confidential. ~ Carol A.O. Wolf
Wednesday, September 02, 2009 10:18:00 PM by Anonymous
Richmond City Public Schools are horrible. I've worked in one of the above mentioned schools for 2 years, and more often than not, it is impossible for the children to find soap and paper towels to even wash their hands....and who even knows if the soap does it's job? It's called "Pink and Sudsy" or "Gold and Sudsy" sounds clean, right? Often there is not toilet paper, either. These are SMALL changes that can make a huge difference in the life of a child who perceives their environment as one that does not matter, and therefore is not deserving of some kind of improvement. If children saw that their environments (living, school, community, etc) were important to SOMEONE ANYONE they may feel that there is some reason for them to rise to a higher standard. Don't give them anything to strive for, and what do you get? These schools need to be upgraded because the children DESERVE (yes I said and meant DESERVE) an educational environment that allows them to learn without having to worry about the small stuff. They are children I don't care how much money their families make or do not make...that's none of my business, but everyone DESERVES to have an opportunity.
Monday, March 16, 2009 12:22:31 PM by scottburger
Hopefully, Richmond is at least a little bit smarter than Detroit:
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 11:24:01 PM by Heavy Sigh
Even more relevant (and depressing), the roof that was put on Robert E. Lee Elementary right before RPS surplussed the building back to the city cost the taxpayers more than $900K .....
http://www.richmond.com/education/10203
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 10:32:55 AM by Carol A.O. Wolf
Melissa Loughridge Savenko asks some excellent questions concerning that 2007 "Master Plan" on her blog. Here are a couple of great quotes:
"Over five years ago, the City in its infinite wisdom closed Robert E. Lee Elementary in the heart of the Museum District. At the time the argument was that Robert E. Lee Elementary was severely underutilized. The property was sold to a developer, who converted the building to high-end apartments, now condominiums.
"I mention Robert E. Lee Elementary because I believe the decision to close that school was short-sighted, at best. Fast-forward 6+ years, and the Museum District could probably use its own elementary school.
"Apparently no one on the School Board or in the School system counted on (i) the Fox School District reaching capacity, meaning it could no longer accept the large number of out-of-zone kids from the Museum District who had traditionally attended Fox as their public elementary school of choice and (ii) the continued influx of young families into the area.
"Were these "unpredictable" trends? I don't believe so. I just don't think anyone bothered to dig through the data and project forward......"
And, to read about her great proposal to make Binford Middle School comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA] and her questions about the "methodology" used to choose schools for closure and/or renovation, paste these links in your browser.
It is relevant to note here that prior to surplussing Robert E. Lee School, RPS slapped a brand new roof on the school and the city sold the building for just over $500K. Yep, you read that right: just over $500K.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 10:03:18 PM by Kim Bridges
The schools you mention aren't anywhere close to being "bulldozer-ready." In the School Board's Facility Master Plan, at http://richmond.k12.va.us/pdfs/ExecSummaryMPUpdate_Final.pdf
- one of these schools is slated for major renovation of portions of the building (p. 14) - one is to be "studied" for possible closure (Appendix A) - one is suggested for replacement or renovation, (p. 19) - and the other six may be closed at some point in the next 6, 8, 10 years or more from now, if funding is made available for continued construction. (Appendix A)
The earliest any of this may happen is 2015, but the students of Binford, Huguenot, Fairfield, Woodville, Thompson, Southhampton, Clark Springs, Swansboro, and ACDC deserve school buildings with some basic upgrades now. Or should those families wait until their children are in high school, college, or raising kids of their own to see building improvements?
Updating the facility master plan does need to happen once the Phase 1 projects are underway. (Phase 1 should produce 5 new schools and 8 school closures over the next 8-9 years.) As p. 5 of the facility plan says, "Planning is an ongoing process, and this plan needs to be a living document. Annual updating of this plan and a major plan review every three years is recommended. Periodic updates are required as projects are completed and student enrollment changes." So, this plan will get updated along the way between 2009 and 2019, as it should.
The Facility Plan also illustrates the need for on-going improvements, saying "Since it will require ten or more years to complete this project, the Division will also need to address ongoing minor renovations such as roofs, boilers, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc. at schools that are not slated for immediate replacement or renovation."
Years of under-funding public school capital projects is what got us to this point todayan aging infrastructure above even the high national averagewith considerable costs just to keep them functional. So, we have to do both long-range planning as well as present-day upgrading to keep the schools usable for the kids in them today and in the years to come.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 5:43:06 PM by Matt
"Plan" and "Richmond Public Schools" should not be used in the same sentence. It's a contradiction in terms. Everything the board has done in the past concerning school facilities has been ad hoc.
That said, I don't trust any facilities master plan produced by architecture firms specializing in school construction. They have a vested interest in tearing down and building new schools that follow the latest cool trends. Fix what you've got and then maintain it properly kids learned OK in the buildings a generation ago, and so can kids today.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 2:53:44 PM by Scott Burger
But hey everybody, who cares about schools, we will soon have a world class downtown opera house! That makes everything better, right?
Seriously though, what a sad situation that really falls at the feet of ALL Richmond leadership.
My two cents:
Open High, as one of the most successful high school programs in the country, must stay open. The building needs updating with an ADA elevator and roof solar panels.
In fact, solar panels should be on all school roofs.
