Another front page article about the City of Richmond Schools. This one, titled "A Real Space Challenge," addresses the issue of overcrowding in City schools, focusing on this unintended consequence of closing school facilities and consolidating the student populations BEFORE building a new, replacement facility. The specific example used was Whitcomb Court Elementary (closed in 2006) and Woodville Elementary.
The article includes a chart showing the nine (9) schools that the City of the Future plan calls for closing. They are, in alphabetical order: Bellemeade, Bellevue, Binford, Blackwell Annex, Ginter Park Annex, Oak Grove, Southhampton, Summer Hill, and Thompson. The City proposes building new facilities at Broad Rock, Clark Springs, Elkhart, Hugenot, Mason, Ruffin Road, and Woodville.
QUESTION: How were these particular facilities chosen, and why?
I'd really like to know what the criteria were for selection, because the choices do NOT seem to be the most logical. I am going to use one example to try to explain why the City of the Future recommendations have me scratching my head. You can almost throw a rock from Maymont Elementary, to the Amelia Road School AND to John B. Cary Elementary, all in the Museum District/Byrd Park/Carillon area. Check out this map of the RPS elementary school zones. Now look at this map of the "other" RPS specialized schools, which shows Amelia Street's location. It shows how physically proximate each of these facilities is to one another.
Wouldn't it make some sense to consolidate ALL of those schools into a single new facility, particularly since you could (i) combine three proximate physical plants; (ii) limit the school zone changes and busing changes, so kids could still attend neighborhood schools; and (iii) address and solve all the Americans with Disabilities ("ADA") Act compliance issues that any school facility built after 1980 is going to have, an issue that should be PARTICULARLY concerning at Amelia Street, which is a special needs program?
Also, that area is an area that's RAPIDLY GROWING, from a real estate perspective. More people moving in should mean more school age children down the road. It looks like some of the places the City proposes to add new facilities are not growth areas. Will the City spend hard to come by cash in areas where the need for elementary facilities is shrinking, not booming?
Finally, to use my example, the real estate around Cary, Amelia, and Maymont is extremely valuable, much more valuable than the real estate in other areas where the City proposes closing and consolidating school facilities. That may sound mercenary, but shouldn't the City maximize its financial returns on these school consolidations? Consider: If the resulting surplus lands are open for private development, and the City accepts Requests for Proposals ("RFPs") on redevelopment of the properties, shouldn't that mean MORE money for the school system down the road?
Every child in the Richmond Public School system should go to a school that is warm, welcoming and a happy environment for learning. That DOESN'T have to a be a new school. William Fox Elementary is an AMAZING place, and an amazing space, even though built in 1911. It feels to me just like school felt when I was a little girl and attending public elementary school in Richmond. It has charm, and character, and it just feels HAPPY.
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