The Struggle to Renovate Patrick Henry School
Most people think that since children are attending Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts that everything is moving along fine and soon the students will be in the Patrick Henry School building, unfortunately that is not the case. Currently all students are being taught in temporary classrooms at the Woodland Heights Baptist Church. WHBC has been very gracious and accommodating but the students, teachers and staff deserve to be in an actual school. The plan to move into the Patrick Henry School is be held up by RPS in two major ways.
- RPS is unwilling to vote on the transfer of the lease for Historic Tax Credit purposes. Basically this is up to $300k for construction costs that is being held up. The reason for this inaction as stated by School Board Chair Kim Bridges“the language in the Charter Agreement regarding Historic Tax Credits did not contemplate PHSSA’s current request to assign the lease to a new entity, nor does the Charter Agreement require the School Board to automatically acquiesce to any such request.”
- RPS will not sign a construction vendor. The result of this inaction means that work can’t begin in the Patrick Henry building. If work can’t begin in the building then the students face another school year of temporary classrooms. In relation to this issue School Board Chair Kim Bridges stated. “We discussed that construction funds remain significantly behind PHSSA’s own projections and were not adequate to fund the renovations needed. An expectation of sufficient funding and a realistic plan to begin and complete the renovations needed at the Patrick Henry building are not impediments to the renovation progress, rather, these are standard expectations and especially vital to carrying out major renovations in such a short timeframe.”
Detailed information can be found at the PHSSA website;
- Letter from Board President, Sharon Burton 3/17/2011
- Letter from RPS to PHSSA 3/11/2011 (Bridges responses taken from this letter)
- Construction funding plan
- Press release about audit results
Editorial Bit by a Father of a Patrick Henry Student: There is no denying the questions and due diligence that PHSSA has to face from the RPS School Board but I never get the impression that RPS is genuinely working with PHSSA. I have read and received in person the lip service of how RPS is proud to have the new school and will do whatever it can to see Patrick Henry succeed but I have yet to see this in action. Other forces claim to be supporters but spend the majority of their time casting aspersions on board members, old and new or looking for a smoking gun with relentless Freedom of Information Act Requests. There is a level of passivity in many of the supporters. We, myself included, rely on the Patrick Henry School Board and a few volunteers to fight to get the building open. All of that needs to change.
If you have a student in Patrick Henry, plan to have student in Patrick Henry, think that a school full of children is better than an abandoned building, support the idea of charter schools, support Patrick Henry in any way there are several steps you can take.
- Contact your School Board Representative with the message that PHSSA matters to you and the School Board needs to treat it as a valuable ally.
- Contact your local media outlets such as RichmondMagazine.com, RVA News, Richmond Times Dispatch, Style Weekly, Richmond.com, Richmond Free Press, and Richmond Voice. Tell them that you support PHSSA and having genuine choice in Richmond public education.
- Talk about PHSSA on your Facebook Page, Twitter Account, Tumblr, blog and whatever other piece of the internet you have control over.
- Attend the March 21st RPS Board meeting with your friends and family. At this meeting the PHSSA board will be presenting a formal business plan to the RPS board. During the the public comments period express your opinion directly to all the members of the board. Urge them not to delay voting on matters that have a direct daily impact on RPS students.
- Attend the PHSSA School Rally on April 2nd at 11 a.m. The rally will be held at the Patrick Henry School on Semmes. At the rally you can learn how to be more directly involved in the school. Hear the details about the various committees and find the right spot for your skills and interest.
I agree with your statement regarding the passivity of RPS. Speaking informally with folks involved in managing the construction project, I have noticed how quickly they dismiss the discussion, or provide no real information about the project. I have concluded that a meeting was held amongst the button pushing folks, during which they were directed to do nothing to further the project.
I would sooner put my house up for sale and move to Chesterfield or Henrico than see my children in RPS, based on what I have seen/heard about several of the schools. Quite frustrating, especially when the PHSSA folks appear to be working so hard to succeed.
The schools are fine – it’s the administration that’s the problem. I have kids in two schools, and they’ve done a great job with my boys. I have no reservations about keeping them there, save the usual budget concerns. I will point out that neither of them goes to class in a trailer.
Come on PHSSA Parents! Let’s make some noise and let RPS know that we worked to hard to get here. Our kids are getting an incredible hands on nature & arts inspired curriculum. I see great things happening at all of the grade levels. The kids are not just learning what they need to pass a grade. They are involved in the community, they are learning life lessons and they are having a good time doing it! There are a number of good schools in RPS but this is the one that our family chose. Our second child is supposed to start next year…I want it to be in the school building. There should not be anything or anyone’s agenda standing in the way of my children’s public education. Let’s let them know how we feel PHSSA! See you at the meeting on the 21st and the rally on the 2nd.
As a PHSSA stakeholder, I am so sad to hear that RPS is holding up the process of renovating the old Patrick Henry building. It is very disappointing that the school board is not willing to do anything they can do to get that building open.
I am going to stay positive in light of this recent news because we have faced challenges in the past and have overcome them. When the school board wouldn’t stand by us and support our charter we wrote grants, raised money and achieved community support. We created the first public charter school in VA. When the school board said our school building was not ADA compliant, we said okay and moved to the church building. In the church building we have engaged and molded 130 Richmond city students.
Within the classrooms student lessons are integrated and promote hands-on learning. Even with the limited space the school has, the hardworking teachers make it work. They spend their blood, sweat, and tears on creating educational opportunities and deep appreciation and love for nature.
I wish the school board would recognize the achievements that these teachers and students have made this year and that in many ways we are setting the bar for all Richmond Public schools by utilizing best practices and striving for higher education. Patrick Henry Charter School of Science and Arts is making a difference in the city, the community, and the lives of children.
For #4: Your remarks are so perfectly expressed and written. I wish there was a remote possibility that “our” school board members would read this entire segment. Good job Richard, Page and Parents. Let’s keep trying and trying and trying!
Please make sure to email the school board members if you are in support of PHSSA!!! Write letters/> to the newspapers. If the board can see how invested the community is, perhaps the process will go more smoothly. They have no motivation to act quickly otherwise.