Skip to main content

RPS School Board Candidates Homework Assignment

I am assigning every RPS school board candidate homework. Is this a bit cheeky? Maybe. But I was seriously - SERIOUSLY - surprised when more than one school board candidate indicated to me that they do not watch school board meetings.

School Board candidates - here is your first assignment.

Study guide, quiz and syllabus to follow.

***

The first assignment is to watch the public comment given by RPS employees at the May 6, 2024 School Board meeting.

In this series of public comments, members of the REA, including Board members and officers, describe multiple violations of the collective bargaining agreement and resolution.

These violations include transgressions against "the letter" (i.e. explicit conditions) of the agreement, as well as the spirit of collective bargaining.

The viewing homework lasts for approximately 30 minutes.

Speakers include:

  • REA Vice President,
  • REA Secretary (and past President), 
  • REA Treasurer of the REA, 
  • three REA Board members, 
  • an American Sign Language interpreter,
  • an REA rep from a school that had the 200-day calendar imposed on staff,
  • an administrative office associate who is member of that unit's collective bargaining team.

Clicking HERE will bring you directly to the pertinent portion of the public comment.

STUDY QUESTIONS WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY.

FULL MEETING BELOW. The public comment in question begins at 36:15. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

BREAKING: 4th District School Board Candidates - complete list

ANALYSIS SOON.... I submitted a FOIA request for this information a few days ago.* I think I am the first to report the complete list. I'm excited - this is why I started this blog - to bring timely information concerning hyper-local education issues of interest to RPS educators and community members. Here is the final list of community members who have submitted their names for consideration to be appointed to the school board seat vacated by Jonathan Young. Demetrios Axarlis,  Chris Bacon, Willie Barley, George Braxton, Amber Brown, Sheron Carter‐Gunter, William Craig, Angela Fontaine, Wesley Hedgepeth, Derek Redwine, Garrett Sawyer, Taylor Jeffrey, Albertina Walker, Thomas Washington, Jr.  *My original FOIA was sent April 22. The School Board clerk kindly suggested I wait for the candidate deadline to pass.  I also appreciate that RPS did not charge me for this information. However, not all FOIA's are free.  If you found this content useful, please consider "buyin...

U.S. News & World Report's 2024 national ranking of public high schools

Sabrina Moreno reports  that Richmond's Open and Community high schools ranked very high on the U.S. News and World Reports rankings [ 2 Richmond high schools among top 10 in Virginia ]. Immediately I looked askance at these rankings and wanted to dig deeper. As educators, we need to not just reflexively accept these at face value.  Even still, like anyone, I was curious about schools I had attended, schools where friends and family have children in attendance, schools near where I live, and of course, schools I have taught in. I was really taken aback at some of the "low" rankings on the list, including that of a very high achieving school system in the Northeast. I immediately called one of my oldest friends, the chair of that district's school board to discuss her take on these rankings. Questions we discussed include: What do these rankings mean?  Why was the list compiled? What biases inform this list? What agenda is served by these rankings? How are these rankin...

Garrett Sawyer runs for Richmond's 4th District School Board seat

BREAKING NEWS/EXCLUSIVE Garre tt Sawyer has announced tha t he will be seeking to fill the 4th District School Board seat vacated by Jonathan Young's resignation.  Recently Sawyer had planned to  run for City Council , but has changed course and has filed to be appointed to the School Board.  I've encountered Sawyer in a variety of community spaces. Through his years of public service he has forged deep connections with a wide spectrum of community members. Christian Detres of RVAMag describes Sawyer as: ".... charming, clearly attentive to style, and friendly to boot. His gentle manner cradles a striding confidence that could magnetize voters...." and "His public service pedigree is strong. His experience ranges from working with the NAACP to serving in leadership at the  Ethics Reform Commission  and the Richmond Public Library. He’s considered an HR wizard and gets really excited about Richmond restaurants. He’s a happy product of Richmond Public Schools and ...