If You Support Patrick Henry School, Let Your School Board Rep Know

Not everyone supports the school, but if you are a supporter, Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts urgently needs your help. Since this school is open city-wide, regardless of what district you live in, tell your school board representative what positive effect you expect the school to have on our community and our children.  Now, more than ever, they need to know how valued this school is to the citizens of Richmond. An email from PHSSA:

Urgent: We Need Your Help

Getting PHSSA, the first charter school in Richmond, up and running has uncovered many unforeseen challenges. We have been working with Richmond Public School Board for two years to try and make this school a reality for you – the many families who have pursued this option for your children.

This option to open the school at the EC-WHBC is not in PHSSA’s original contract with RPS and will therefore require a vote to be approved. We sent a letter to RPS School Board to request this change to the contract. They will vote to approve or deny this request on Monday, May 3rd at City Hall at 6 pm. We currently have 95 students enrolled in the school and we need your support to encourage your school board member to approve this vote. At this point, RPS has heard from very few families who are interested in and support PHSSA. They need to know that your children want to attend PHSSA in 2010! Let your voice be heard!! [Click through to see the ways you can be heard.]

Here’s what you can do:

• Call, email and ask to meet with your school board rep before May 3rd and ask them to vote ‘yes’ on the alternate location for PHSSA. You can find out school board rep online.
• Ask your friends, family, neighbors, and relatives to do the same.
• Blog and write letters to local newspaper editors about how PHSSA is important to your family!
• Attend the RPS Board Meeting on Monday, May 3rd at City Hall at 6 pm. Speak or have your child speak during public comments period and tell the school board members why you think PHSSA is important for your family and ask them to vote ‘yes’ on alternate location.

PHSSA is ready to open the school and has the funding in place to run the integrated curriculum program that has excited so many of you, the parents and families. The challenge PHSSA is facing is that the building is not renovated and ready for children yet. This is why we sought out an alternate location. Now RPS School Board needs to approve this alternate location. Please tell them to approve it and help us jump these hurdles and make this school a reality for Richmond!

Thank you so much for your support of the first charter school in Richmond!

Sincerely,
Principal Boyd and the PHSSA Board of Directors