Exit Interview

credit: anonymous RPS teacher (not me!!) 1. REA he lps win back funds that the Mayor cut from RPS budget.  From NBC 12:  Richmond City Council approves budget RTD:  https://richmond.com/news/local/government-politics/richmond-budget-city-council-coliseum-schools-rps/article_6199e6ba-116b-11ef-9df6-c394add31259.html https://www.rva.gov/richmon d-city-council/richmond-budget City Council added back 18 million to the RPS Operating budget and 15 (17?) million back to the CIP budget, which covers major repairs (such as roofs, but not new building construction).  In total, the City's contribution to the RPS budget will be 239 million dollars. 2. The meme above represents the reactions from some teachers to the outcome of the City Council meeting.  3. TONIGHT: The School Board will interview fourteen candidates for the 4th District seat vacated by Jonathan Young. Find the timeline for installation of new school board member HERE . The RPS website incorrectly lists May 6, 2024 as the date

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 "buying me a

So much is happening so fast that I'm resorting to a "digest" format.  Here's what's on tap: 1) City Council final budget meeting: Monday, May 13, 2024 2) Guns in our community impact our schools 3) Teacher Appreciation Week Highlights 4) 4th DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES 5) Laughs *** 1) MOST IMPORTANT CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MONDAY, MAY 13, 2024  The most important Richmond City Council meeting of the year is this coming Monday, May 13, at 6 p.m.  This is the meeting where the City Council will finalize the budget for Richmond - and Richmond Public Schools - for next school year. RPS asked for 16 million dollars for  major  repairs and remediation, such as new roofs, but  Mayor Levar Stoney only allocated 2.5 million.  Luckily through the intentional, targeted advocacy of the REA, a City Council rep is proposing  an amendment to the Mayor's budget, restoring the 16 million dollars we need to improve the health and safety in our schools.  But it is by no m

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

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 a