Not surprisingly, their take isn’t exactly enthusiastic. While the article doesn’t out-and-out accuse the PH Initiative of promoting school segregation, it certainly floats the suggestion. REA President Wade Ellegood (who, you might recall, is on the committee to recruit a new RPS Superintendent), is particularly opposed:

I think they are making a major mistake by allowing this charter school even though it has not met the criteria of the state…Outside of that 90 percent of what’s in their application does not meet state standards and it does not make any sense for us to invest in something that doesn’t meet state standards.

Richmond City Parent Teacher Association President Tichi Pickney Eppes is only slightly less disagreeable towards the concept, stating that “all of our elementary schools are accredited. So if that is the case we don’t necessarily need another chartered elementary school. The kids are doing fine it would appear in their current environment.”

If you’ll pardon the editorializing again….Does Mr. Ellegood include the 7 or 8 current RPS schools that didn’t meet Adequate Yearly Progress in his comments about not investing “in something that doesn’t meet state standards?” And does Ms. Eppes really believe that all of “the kids are doing fine…in their current environment?”

Finally, the article mentions “traditional charter schools that are operating currently in RPS.” Would someone be so kind as to inform me which RPS schools are charter schools? Because the state Dept. Of Education seems to think there are only 3 (with a 4th due in August) public charter schools in Virginia, and none are in the Richmond area.

The Patrick Henry Charter School is open to any Richmond City elementary student and the upcoming School Board vote, likely to occur on 5/5/08, will impact every child and district within the city limits. They’re asking for your help. See their mailing for all the details: PDF here, Word doc here.

Just in case you forgot, or missed it the first time around, the South of the James Market kicks off tomorrow morning, 8am, at Shelter 2 in Forest Hill Park (circa New Kent & 42nd). I’ll be the guy trying to figure out how to carry 4 armloads of produce home on his bike.

I’ve received some questions about this site and occasional editorializing, and its relationship with RPS and the PH School Initiative. So I’ll take a potentially long-winded moment to clarify things below the fold.

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…and by most accounts, the South of the James Market was quite the success.

Gray brought this up comments to another post, but I thought it warranted a more prominent mention. The school board discussion on the Patrick Henry charter school initiative is scheduled for the 4:30 portion of today’s meeting, with a closed meeting to follow. It’s likely too late to do anything about it, but contacting your board rep today might be therapeutic, if not exactly productive.

Ross at RVANews (among other places) came through big and summed up last night’s meeting nicely. Between that and the constant updates from Gray & other folks here, it was a pretty impressive reporting effort, especially when compared to other articles that didn’t say too much we didn’t already know.

The next milestone comes May 15, 5PM, in a public meeting between the PHI folks & the school board. Let’s hope that someone affiliated w/ RPS actually reads the proposal thoroughly by then.

Southampton Elementary has been recognized as a 2008 Title I Distinguished School. Title I schools typically draw 40% or more of its students from low-income families, and as such, receive direct federal funding for instruction. Recipients of this award have maintained full state accreditation two consecutive years, met No Child Left Behind benchmarks in reading and math, and scored above the 60th percentile in both subjects.

Thanks to the I Have A Dream Foundation, 15 George Wythe seniors have earned college credit during high school and will be able to continue their education at university and/or the military. These students are also acting as mentors for younger children at Broad Rock Elementary, where students receive academic support, cultural activities and individual attention through their elementary, middle and high school years, plus tuition assistance for higher learning.

From the DPW:

All lanes of Canal Street between 7th Street and 9th Street and all lanes of 8th Street between Franklin Street and Cary Street will be closed from 6 a.m. to Noon on Saturday, May 10. These closures will be needed for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The southbound lanes of the Manchester Bridge will also be closed for the race from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The northbound lanes of the bridge will not be closed.

Motorists are encouraged to avoid these areas during the closure times or to be prepared for traffic delays associated with detours. The 14th Street Bridge and the Lee Bridge are alternatives for motorists who need to go south of the James River during the closure.

The Richmond Waldorf School holds its May Faire celebration tomorrow, Saturday May 10, from 10-2. Open to the public, this event is brings members of the larger Richmond community to RWS to celebrate. Children decorate wreaths with fresh spring flowers, dance around the Maypole, and sing songs of Spring. Children’s activities, stories, and delicious treats are available for the whole family.

The Richmond Waldorf School is tucked in behind Westover Baptist Church, at 1000 Westover Hills Blvd

Or in Forest Hill Park, anyway.

I’m not sure whether this one falls more under “All Education All The Time” or “High Comedy.” Either way, the Richmond Defender has a small blurb on the PH charter school (No website, but PDF here). Their first couple of questions are some that we’ve heard a lot the last couple of weeks:

Will the proposed charter school be open to all Richmond children, including the disabled? Will the school’s requirement of “parental involvement” and a staggered, year-round school schedule be an obstacle to working parents?

But the knee-slapper comes at the end:

And what will be the involvement of the Lexington Institute, the neocon Virginia think tank that has been advising the project?

Now, not being involved with the effort, I don’t know anything about the Lexington Institute, who they are or even if they’re actually involved. But of the people I do know who are involved and/or supportive of the the PH effort, “neocon” is the last descriptor that would come to mind.

Never a dull moment in Richmond…

Two 4th District meetings will be held in May. Wednesday May 14th’s meeting (7PM, St Luke Lutheran Church) will discuss plans to widen Forest Hill Avenue. The May 21st meeting (7PM, Crestwood Presbyterian Church) meeting will address proposed widening of Jahnke Rd.

Cookbook author and Food Network host Ellie Krieger recently visited Redd Elementary…

A look at Williams Island, that large chunk of land across from Pony Pasture.

The Virginia NAACP has come out in opposition to the Patrick Henry charter school. The REA and Richmond Council of PTAs also reiterated their opposition.

5100 Forest Hill Ave, affectionately known as that house (among other things) is officially on the market. The price? $269,500. Given the Keystone Kops-style “renovation” this property has undergone (not to mention the mere $62k assessment from the city), I suspect that’s wishful thinking at best.

Anyone want to start a sale date/price pool?

Maybe it was the lack of weekend rain, the Lebanese food festival, or maybe it was just a general apathy. Whatever the reason, Saturday’s public forum on choosing a new RPS Superintendent drew a mere 5 people.

Just a quick reminder that the School Board will vote on the PH Charter school at tonight’s meeting. The agenda confirms that it’s to be held during the 6PM portion of the meeting.

Prior to the vote, George Wythe students will be recognized by the board for various reasons.

The Richmond School Board met this evening at 6PM to consider a host of what looked to be rather typical items and also to receive and vote upon a recomendation from the Charter School Review Committee (SR07-08-72)(agenda). Dispatched to the back corner of a room adjacent to where the schoolboard meeting was taking place, part of the overflow crowd, the obvious draw was the Patrick Henry Initiative vote.

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The 2nd of this month’s 4th District meetings is tonight, 7PM, at Crestwood Presbyterian Church. The meeting’s focus will be the Jahnke Rd widening project, though something tells me that the buzz over a certain other hot-button issue might well come up as well.

Overshadowed by the recent furor over, um, other things, City Council gave a tentative nod to the much-debated Cowardin/Semmes development (referred to as City View Towers, Manchester on the James, among others). The SUP vote will go before council as a whole at its June 9 session, a meeting which will doubtless see a sizable turnout from Springhill and Woodland Heights residents

Positive Vibe Cafe’s Vibefest is coming, Sunday June 8. A $5 donation gets you a full day’s worth of music and a taste of their much talked about food. As usual, proceed go towards their daily mission of providing food service training and employment for the disabled. They’re looking for volunteers- contact information can be found here.

A kayak’s eye view of the James, from Huguenot to Reedy Creek.