Richmond.com has 5 questions for Graziano and Walker
Richmond.com over the coming weeks plans to ask 5 questions of all Richmond City Council candidates. This week they are talking with Kathy Graziano the incumbent and City Council president of the 4th District and her challenger Johnny Walker. I’ve copied both candidates answer to one question but you’ll have to hit the links to read the rest, including their favorite restaurant in the 4th District.
What is the biggest issue in your district? –
The biggest issue facing the 4th District that Council can address is infrastructure. With few sidewalks and many drainage ditches, water runoff is a serious problem. Pipes running under our roads are constantly leaking and potholes are everywhere. This is a problem City Council is addressing through the budget process. Although our crime statistics are improving, public safety, including traffic issues, is an ongoing concern. An issue of equal importance is the quality of our schools and this is, hopefully, an issue that the Council, the School Board, and the administrations of both the City and the schools will address together.
Make Richmond Public Schools (RPS) priority number 1. Bring RPS back to the academic excellence it once enjoyed. Make our public schools safe for all children to learn. Citizens in the 4th should feel comfortable sending their children to RPS. That means that we have to invest dollars in RPS to reduce class sizes and recruit the best teachers.
Editor’s note: It is interesting that both candidates mention schools as a priority but the city council has very little influence on the school board. Other than the occasional Council Recognition given to deserving students/schools I’ve not seen much in the way of leadership from the council to improve schools.
Thank you for posting this Hills & Heights. You southbank folks know how much I appreciate your neighborhoods!
I’m curious how city council can actually improve our schools? The only real control they have is over their budgets and the buildings themselves. Unless they can somehow disband the school board, they won’t be unable to do much more.
Phil: I have always considered you an honorary south banker.
Pagalina,
The key here is that the City Council Controls the funding
of the Richmond Public Schools. The Mayor and the School
Board are dependent on the City Council for the Dollar to
carry out its policies and agenda. If negotiated in “good will”;
that is with our children and teachers best interest first; City Council can and should be a key player in ensuring that our Citizens have safe, “World Class” public schools to send their children. Don’t we pay high enough taxes to demand that from our elected officials.
Johnny, you’re right — city council controls the funding, but even with fully funding the SB’s request or even shorting their budget request (what happened last year) the SB has not made any material improvements to schools or education. In fact, they hampered the opening of the charter school, which ultimately became a well perfoming elementary school. Unfortunately, I personally have a dilemma — we have 2 children approaching school age and without guaranteeing a spot in the charter school, we are off to Chesterfield and Henrico scouting for homes. It’s sad, we love it here, but until the city controls the school board, every 30 somthing with a family who has the ability to look for a better school district will.
jd,
You are not alone in your situation. This is the biggest issue in the 4th District and our elected officials have put their heads in the sand thinking the issue will go away.
City Council has failed to address this issue for years.
My opponent, Ms. Graziano has avoided dealing with this
issue for nearly a decade ( she has consistantly voted to
reduce the funding requested by the School Boards). It will not be easy but I am ready to fight to bring RPS back to the academic excellence it enjoyed when I attended RPS. First we must ensure that our schools are safe. I will keep this issue in the public eye until it is addressed and resolve. It is that important to the 4th District and our City. Hope things work out for you and your family.
At the risk of continuing an off-topic tangent, I question whether “investing dollars” is really the answer. Richmond already spends far more per pupil than Chesterfield, Henrico or Hanover, and it hasn’t exactly brought results (although some administrators are driving mighty nice cars).
Like Mr. Walker, I am a proud graduate of Richmond Public Schools, and when I attended, in the 1970s and 1980s, the school system had an admirable focus on arts, humanities and open education. I would love to see the same focus in RPS today — but I don’t think more money is going to get them there.
Anne – spot on. More money = more unused computers in a warehouse.