RICHMOND, Va (WRIC) — For generations of families who took classes at George Wythe High School, building a new school has been a long time coming.
A door-knocking campaign by Richmond School Board representatives aims to help the school board decide what kind of learning environment may be instituted.
Three groups of people set out Thursday afternoon to homes of current school students and middle schoolers who could have input on the new George Wythe High.
RPS is collecting community input on whether the school’s objectives will aim to enrich children in the arts or STEM, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math.
Just this week, the Richmond School Board accepted what Mayor Levar Stoney called a “final offer” to start construction planning; including scope and design. The mayor’s office and school board have battled for years about who should bear responsibility to build a school.
The contention became more heated after a city audit found that Richmond City Hall was spending more than the state average — and more than what Chesterfield spent — to build schools.
While canvassing door to door while speaking in English and Spanish, Chasity Rodriguez, the RPS Southside family engagement coordinator, said the families they are looking for “are often families that, for one reason or another, can’t make it through work hours to really engage, and get the information that we offer. So bringing the information to them, they typically find extremely helpful.”
RPS plans to canvass the Manchester neighborhood Friday, and host an in-person engagement meeting at the Southwood Resource Center from 4-5 p.m.
Richmond City Council is expected to vote on Stoney’s proposal on April 25. If approved, the city will transfer $7.3 million to begin work for the school’s construction.