RPS School Board Meeting - March 3, 2026

001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> They are your call on us interpreters. Uh, interpretation done esta disponible para los que estan viendo la reunion a traves de Zoom. Gracias. Thank you. Thank you. Before we move to our Pledge of Allegiance and moment of silence, we would like to acknowledge one of our dear colleagues who is not here tonight. If you notice, Ms. Cheryl Burke has been absent um for a quite some time. It is due to the loss of her beloved husband of 43 years. And so, as we do our moment of silence on tonight, if you all could just have her in your thoughts, we would appreciate it. We know that um she is extremely strong and um someone who is passionate about RPS. And so, her absence here is to be sure that she is

002there to um transition in this um um unimaginable loss. Um Ms. Burke, if you are watching, our thoughts are with you and your family. We love you and we will continue to support you and hold down the fort until you return. Uh her beloved husband, Spike, was uh also a RPS uh graduate and very indoctrinated into the world of RPS. And we are so grateful to have known um the amazing entrepreneur and man that he was. Uh this is an extreme loss for uh the RPS uh family. And so, again, our condolences and thoughts and prayers go to the Burke family. And at this time, we will have our Pledge of Allegiance and moment of silence led by Ms. Ricard. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to

003the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Moving right to 1.04, approve the minutes of the February 2nd, 2026 and February 3rd, 2026 school board meetings. Ms. Ricard? Madam Chair, I motion to approve the minutes of the February 2nd, 2026 and February 3rd, 2026 school board meetings. Second. It's been moved by Ms. Ricard and seconded by Mr. Hedgepeth. Madam Clerk? Mr. Percival? Yes. Ms. Ricard? >> Yes. Mr. Farooq? >> Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth? Yes. Ms. Rizzi? Yes. Ms. Holton? Yes. Mr. Burke? Mr. Jafari? Yes. Ms. Fernandez? Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. And now for the adoption of the agenda, Mr. Percival? Uh thank you, Madam Chair. I move that we adopt the agenda for the March 3rd meeting of the RPS school board business session as posted.

004Second. It's been moved by Mr. Percival and seconded by Mr. Hedgepeth. Madam Clerk? Mr. Percival? Yes. Ms. Ricard? Yes. Mr. Farooq? Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth? Yes. Ms. Rizzi? Yes. Ms. Holton? Yes. Mr. Burke? Mr. Jafari? Yes. >> Ms. Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. And now we will transition to recognition. Um one of our most exciting parts of the evening. Um we will be receiving our student representative who will be introduced by Mr. Chambers. Thank you, Madam Chair, and good evening, everyone. I am delighted to introduce Kalise Banks from Armstrong High School. Kalise is a senior at Armstrong who exemplifies a unique blend of academic technical expertise and a deep-seated commitment to her community. As a member of both the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society, Kalise has established herself as a versatile scholar

005who values both traditional excellence and specialized skill building. Kalise is a prominent voice in student leadership, serving on my Superintendent Advisory Council to represent her peers at the highest level. Her involvement in the Armstrong High School Honors College, DECA, and HOSA reflects a drive to explore the intersections of business and health care. Beyond her academic pursuits, she shares her talents through choir and fosters a supportive environment for her fellow students by maintaining Cats Boutique, a free clothes closet operated by and for the Armstrong community. With a heart for service, Kalise also dedicates her time to the Reading with the Littles program, helping to inspire the next generation of learners. When she steps away from her responsibilities, she finds joy in quiet, thoughtful hobbies like reading, baking, and the strategy of board games and puzzles. These

006creative outlets provide a perfect balance to her high-achieving lifestyle. Following graduation, Khalise plans to pursue a degree in health sciences as the first step toward attending pharmacy school. Her ultimate goal is to apply her dedication to science and service in the field of pharmacology, ensuring the well-being of others through expert care. Please join me in welcoming Khalise Banks. Good evening school board, and good evening Superintendent Chambers. Thank you guys so much for giving me the opportunity to speak this evening. As you all heard, I'm the current National Honor Society president as well as the Armstrong High School Honors College president. As a Richmond Public School student for a majority of my pre-K through 12 education, um I have attended both Armstrong, Franklin Military, and Fairfield Court Elementary. All I can say is students like me

007are only a start to tackling a bigger issue. An issue that plagues both middle school and high school students. That issue being disengagement. With my experiences from other students, it tends to begin in middle school. A student goes from one primary teacher to at least four teachers a semester in middle school. If students and parents aren't aware of the array of services and programs provided to them by Richmond Public Schools, how can we expect them to be engaged as high school students? This not only applies to the various academic programs, but also the benefits for families. RPS has put in the effort to provide families with active participation by creating departments such as the family of office and community engagement. All of my personal accounts with the staff affirm that these staff members take the

008job of raising awareness of benefits for families very seriously, going above and beyond, and now they're turning to the community by setting out to start the parent teacher the parent teacher and students associations. The first but most important task in the quest of community engagement is parent engagement. Students are children, teens, and young adults all within the matters of a few short years. Do we all truly know what's best for us when we're going through all these changes? Without my mom, I would not have been pushed to take the opportunities that offered me to sit here today. The impact of parent involvement is a powerful one. By starting programs like the PTSA, I feel Richmond Public Schools takes one more step in bringing parents back into the classrooms. When you have the trust and respect

009of parents as a school, the possibility for your students become endless. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak today. Thank you so much. Please hang around so we can take a picture with you at the end, okay? Mr. Chambers. I was just going to add that Mrs. Burke would be especially proud given that you've spent your tenure in District 7 schools including with Armstrong. Indeed, thank you. Now we'll move to 2.02 receive proclamation for Women's History Month that will be read by Mr. Ricard. Women's History Month. Whereas during Women's History Month, we honor the generations of women whose leadership, innovation, courage, and resilience have shaped our nation, strengthened our communities, and advanced opportunities for all. And whereas women, educators, students, leaders, caregivers, advocates, and trailblazers continue to make lasting contributions in every field,

010including education, science, government, business, the arts, and public service. And whereas Richmond Public Schools is proud to uplift the voices, achievements, and stories of women throughout our division and the Richmond community, ensuring that students see themselves reflected in history and are empowered to shape the future. And whereas on Sunday, March 8th, we recognize International Women's Day, a global celebration of women's achievements and a call to advance equity and opportunity for women and girls worldwide. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that Richmond Public Schools recognizes and celebrates March 2026 as Women's History Month and March 8th, 2026 as International Women's Day, and encourages everyone to join in the celebration. Thank you. And now we will have a special video presentation for 2.03 receive proclamation of for arts in schools month. >> I'm in 10th grade and I

011go to Richmond Public Schools for the arts. Arts in our schools month, March 2026. Whereas arts education including visual arts, I'm in 10th grade, Peter, and I go to Richmond Public Schools plays a vital role in fostering creativity, self-expression, and critical thinking for every student. And try it again. It supports social emotional development and builds connections among students. My name is Amir Shabazz. I'm in 10th grade and I go to Richmond Public Schools for the arts. >> [music] >> So what we'll do technology is sorted out. >> [music] >> So what we'll do technology is sorted out. >> Mhm. >> Celebrate the achievements, problem-solving skills, and innovation of our students and educators. Whereas RPS encourages all students and staff to celebrate Pi Day through engaging activities such as math challenges, creative projects, exploration of real-world

012applications of mathematics, and math jokes. Like, did you know 3.14% of all sailors are pirates? I think we're going off script, Superintendent. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that Richmond Public Schools recognizes and celebrates March 14th, 2026 as Pi Day and encourages all schools and community members to join this celebration. I must admit, I specifically asked him to do that so that I knew he couldn't resist the opportunity to tell a joke. All right, we're going to move back to 2.03. Receive proclamation for Arts in Schools month. I go to Richmond Public Schools for the My name is Amir Shabazz. I'm in 10th grade and I go to Richmond Public Schools for the Arts. Arts in Our Schools Month, March 2026. Whereas, arts education including visual arts, music, theater, dance, and media arts plays a vital

013role in fostering creativity, self-expression, [music] and critical thinking for every student. And whereas, Richmond Public Schools is committed to providing equitable access [music] to high-quality arts education and sharing that all students have opportunities to explore, create, and [music] engage with the arts. And whereas, arts education strengthens academic achievement, supports social-emotional development, and builds [music] connections among students, families, and the community. And whereas, celebrating Arts in Our Schools Month highlights our students' talents, inspires creativity, and affirms the importance of the arts as an integral part of an enriching learning experience. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that Richmond Public Schools recognizes and celebrates March 2026 as Arts in Our Schools Month and encourages everyone to join in this celebration. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Um next up we have a video presentation for 2.06 receive proclamation for

014National Procurement Month. My name is Noah Martin. I am a ninth grader and I go to Richmond High School for the Arts. National Procurement Month, March 2026. Whereas Richmond Public Schools relies on strong, transparent, and efficient procurement practices to ensure that schools have the goods and services necessary to support high-quality teaching and learning. And whereas the procurement team plays a critical role in safeguarding public funds, promoting fairness and accountability, and building partnerships with diverse and local vendors that strengthen our community. And whereas through careful planning, compliance, and collaboration, procurement professionals help ensure that resources are delivered responsibly and equitably >> [music] >> to meet the needs of students, staff, and families. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that Richmond Public Schools hereby recognizes and celebrates March 2026 as National Procurement Month [music] and encourages everyone to

015join in this celebration. Thank you. And last, but certainly not least, um we'll receive a 2.07 proclamation for food fruit, excuse me, and vegetable week. Hi, my name is Jamie. I am an 11th grade and I am a student at Richmond High School for the Arts. Fruit and Veggie Week, March 24th through 27th, 2026. Whereas, fruit and vegetables are essential for students' health, growth, and learning, providing vital nutrients that fuel active minds and bodies. And whereas, Richmond Public Schools is committed to promoting healthy eating habits by offering nutritious fruits and vegetables in school. And encouraging students to explore and try [music] new foods. And whereas, celebrating National Fruit and Vegetable Month supports students' overall being, helps develop lifelong healthy habits, and it strengthens our school communities' focus on wellness. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that

016Richmond Public Schools recognizes and celebrates March 24th through 27th, 2026 as Fruit and Veggie Week and encourages everyone to join in the celebration. Thank you so much. And now for pictures. >> Mhm. >> All right, moving um right along we'll transition to 3.01 announcements. Mr. Hitchpath? Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh once again, I want to publicly thank the Multilingual Learners Services Department for uh their partnership and presentation at the Fourth District Parent-Teacher Advisory Council meeting that we held in February in the Fourth District. Uh for the March meeting, uh we will be at Huguenot High School on March 24th at 5:30. Again, that's for the Parent-Teacher Advisory Council. Uh if you would like to be included, please uh join us. Email me and I can send you our agenda and invitation. Thank you. Thank you.

017Mr. Jafari? Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to circle back and uh just recap last week and just commend all of the schools in the Eighth District for all of their Black History Month celebrations. Uh really diverse cultural events. To have been there was to really enjoy the real diversity uh that we often don't see on the news and that we don't hear a lot about. Um was glad to see Mr. Cameras in the house as well as you can imagine a number of other parents that were there. It's basically flooded. But I was truly impressed not so much just by the numbers, but by the sheer camaraderie uh between the students and those students' parents and families. And, you know, last evening, we we did a couple of uh a presentations, and we

018were talking about the principals and the principal directors. And what I saw last week really reflected and and showed just how hard uh the principals, the assistant principals, and and those uh directors, those lead teachers work to establish the kind of camaraderie and vibe that was present. It doesn't just happen. So, I just didn't want it to pass without saying something about it and commending them for that. Now, this week, we have a couple of events going on. Uh the Read Across America is in Blackwell tomorrow. And Friday, it's at Broad Rock. So, it's never too late. Reach out and and contact the office and and see if there are some available slots. We need all of our parents. We need you to come back in and read to our youngsters. They really enjoy it,

019and you'll enjoy it as well. Thanks, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Rizzi. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to shout out, I mean, there are so many events happening, um and they're all wonderful. I want to shout out three that I attended last week. First, there was an Mr. Hedgepeth was there, too. We went to RHSA signing day, where six um very prestigious football players, including one of our audience members' sons, um signed to colleges uh to continue their football careers. So, that was really exciting to see. Um I also attended um the Black History Month Museum at Maymont Preschool. And it was amazing. There were so many displays and like there were there was this 3D hair structure thing that was just all I mean it was incredibly beautiful. Uh and it was

020really well done and engaging. So, I wanted to shout that out and then um I know that Superintendent Camera attended the El Rio Davis Oratorical Contest this past Saturday at Huguenot High School. Um there seemed to be at least 100 kids there of all ages. And they were super excited and talented and just super cute when they went on stage to get their trophies. You should see have seen how excited they were. Um but that is always a great event and I wanted to shout that out. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Farooq. Thank you, Madam Chair. Similar to my colleagues, there were several amazing Black History Month events also in the third district in Northside and I just want to shout out Mary Scott Preschool, which is an adorable school in the Northside and they

021were highlighted by CBS 6 in the way that they brought Black History Month alive and taught Black History to our youngest learners. And they did so in ways that were very interactive. And so they one example was that they had students actually dress up as people from Black History as famous Americans who contributed a lot to our community and then they had the hallways lined with pictures of the students dressed up as those people. So, history it's not it's not something that they just read from a textbook. It someone that they thought about, someone they empathized with and um was really excited to see that we're making that a reality for our kids, making that these are real people that they can be inspired by, that they can learn from. And I know for me

022personally, as I do my best not to watch the news, I am continuously inspired to know that always in our history there have been people who have been fighting for justice and fighting to make things better. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Hedgepeth. Thank you, Madam Chair. My apologies. I'm embarrassed that I forgot to acknowledge that the history fair was this past week at the VMHC. It was an amazing event and I was told that we had a record number of middle school entries, which is just awesome and I'm so excited for all of the future historians that we have in and Richmond. And I want to thank Mr. Billups and the social studies department as well as Ms. Bell and curriculum and instruction and their teams for for putting on such an important

023event and training our new historians. My apologies for that oversight. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Ricard. Thank you, Madam Chair. Want to recognize a few events that went on in the second district. Um this past month I was able to attend the mock job interview event at Richmond Technical Center. I want to thank Mr. Charles Watson for putting that on. I know there were others that supported him, but he was the main contact and just there were probably 30 to 40 businesses there to serve as interviewees for our students and our students came with prepared resumes and they were dressed for the event and we had questions to ask them and it was just a wonderful conversation afterwards. Um I also wanted to mention that Carver is actually having their Black History program this Thursday

024from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Um Dogwood Middle School has a million events going on in March, so please follow their Instagram. Um but they had a dance showcase last week. They have a theater showcase this month. They have a math night. Um they are co-hosting a trivia contest with Fox Elementary this Sunday from 2:00 to 5:00 at Home Team Grill. Um but there's just a lot going on. And then um just a few other things. Today we finally had the renaming ceremony for Richmond Success Academy, which was lovely. And um as one student said um when asked what they like about the new name, they said, "Well, I'm coming here to be more successful and to succeed." And I just want to recognize Principal Cheatham and the teachers there who in the last 2 years

025have done an incredible job creating that culture of success, where our students are supported, they come there, they get the help they need, and they return to their comprehensive high schools. Um we recognized Fruit and Veggie Week. I just want to mention that if you follow Greater Richmond Fit for Kids on social media, there are still spots open to volunteer. That's March 24th through the 28th, and you can go into any of the elementary schools and help serve vegetables and fruits during lunchtime. And then finally um just on behalf of all my colleagues, Curriculum and Instruction has two wonderful events coming up, the Fine Arts Festival on Saturday, March 14th at Huguenot High School from 10:00 to 4:00, and the Science Showcase, which is next week on Thursday the 12th from 5:30 to 7:30 at

026the Dewey Gottwald Center. And both are treat. Thank you, Ms. Halton. Thank you. Uh I just wanted to uh put a uh notice out about a great event coming up at the Library of Virginia next week. Uh it's titled What Virginia Schools Could Be: Pathways to Purpose and Prosperity. And with there's going to be a showing of a documentary film that's very much in line with the high school redesign concepts in our Dreams 4 RPS. I think it's going to be very exciting and it will start with a student showcase. And you can sign up by going to Eventbrite or just Google What School Could Be Virginia and you'll find it. Thank you, Mr. Percival. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um just want to send out a thank you to Albert Hill Middle School and to

027Mary Munford Elementary School for inviting me to their fundraiser events this weekend. Uh we had a winter festival at Albert Hill and we had an auction at Mary Munford. And uh just a big thank you to PTAs out there, all of the unsung heroes who do all the hard work um to to really bring the community into the schools and do things at the local level for the schools. So, thank you for that. A shout-out to the TJ Viking Fund who raised money to buy chairs and tables to have mock interviews at TJ following up on Mr. Card. So, shout-out there. And also um going to pivot here to this past Friday, RPS had another RPS Love Market at Clark Springs Elementary School. These are wonderful events where RPS provides groceries, essentials, services, um etc.

028to families of RPS that may be in need. This [clears throat] time was a little bit different. As I got there in the morning, I was told by Ms. Parks that we were going to have a dentist there in the afternoon. And the dentist was able to see 31 families that had signed up. And I'd like to to shout-out to the dentist Smile Garden in Richmond because not only did Smile Garden attend to the 31 families who had signed up, but a family showed up late in the afternoon with was it six or seven littles, um, had just heard about RP's, had not signed up, showed up at the very end, and the dentist said, "Well, I'm here, and if you'll stay, I'll stay." and saw the whole family. So, I'm not encouraging people to

029show up at the last minute. Please go through the protocol, but I did want to shout out Smile Garden for that extra effort, and we really, really appreciate it. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Um, I have a few announcements. Um, I'll start off with congratulations to Coach Dabney and River City's Code Red Cheer Squad. Uh, they participated and took grand champion and first place slots in several categories, um, this past weekend in the Powerhouse National Cheer competition in Norm, uh, Durham, excuse me, North Carolina. So, congratulations, uh, to, um, that amazing group. We are so proud of you. Also want to give a shout-out to J.L. Francis for having SOL nights last Wednesday. Um, thank you so much for your continued efforts, uh, in keeping the main thing, um, the main thing. Also, we have

030had, um, several Black History Month, um, events at in the Ninth District. Um, namely, um, Reed Elementary School had theirs on February 26th. And, um, you know, this is important because representation matters. And so, um, for folks to be, uh, made aware of someone who looks like them doing amazing things, it can catapult them to do even more amazing things. And so I want to thank everyone um in the 9th District who took part in um Black History Month programs across the district. There is one um that I'll be uh grateful to attend in March. They had to um push it out just a bit just because they believe in excellence and wanted to make sure that all of their tees were crossed and eyes were dotted, so I look forward um to joining them

031uh then. Um and then also, I just wanted to share information regarding the homegoing celebration um for um Mr. Emmett uh uh Burke, um again who was affectionately known as Spike. Um for those who are interested in going to the service, um it a a celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, March 7th at 11:00 a.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 216 Wesley Street in Richmond, Virginia 23220. Um if there's anyone who would like to share a card or perhaps flowers, they are receiving them at Chimborazo Elementary School for those who may want to send uh condolences uh to her. Um and thank you so much uh for your continued um thoughts and um prayers. With that, we will transition. Okay? One last uh area to to call out for Mr. Jafari. Thanks,

032Madam Chair. Uh as a former RPS alum and athlete and a former Armstrong-Walker Classic participant over 3 years I just want to give a shout out to Mr. Byrd, Emmett Spike Byrd. As a participant in the fall 1962 Armstrong Walker Classic, on behalf of all of the the veteran classic participants, from the bands to the concession to the marching cadet corps, and to the teams, of course, I say outstanding. And thank you, Mr. Byrd. Rest in glory. Very well said. Thank you, Mr. Jafari. We will now transition into our public information session. I will share that we have a um large amount of pre-registered speakers, and as such, we will um abide by the policy that was just recently um voted in to um to extend it from the 30-minute mark to 45 minutes. I

033will share that there are some additional pre-registered speakers after that time, and so I think we'll need to assess where we are um to see um how we would like to move forward. That being said, um Ms. Richardson, if you could please share the guidelines for public comment. Conduct of speakers. Speakers shall state their full legal name prior to addressing the school board. Speakers will address the school board as a whole, rather than individual school board members, the division superintendent, school board attorney, clerk, or any other staff member. The school board will listen to comments, but will not respond during the information period. Persons appearing before the school board will not be allowed to one, campaign for public office, two, promote private business ventures, or three, use profanity or vulgar language. If the community members

034comments during the public information session relate to school-based issues, the chair may refer that individual to Richmond Public Schools Administration for one-on-one consultation and follow-up. It is important that all community members who wish to participate in the public information period abide by the guidelines set forth in this policy. Refusal to abide by the policy will result in the forfeiture of the remaining time that has been allotted to the speaker. Community members may express their views in writing in lieu of any oral presentation. Comments received in writing in lieu of an oral presentation will not be read during the meeting, but shall be posted to the school board platform BoardDocs. Thank you. Due to the amount of speakers this evening, um we will ask for individuals, you will have 2 minutes. Correct? Or 3 minutes? 3

035minutes and for organizations, 5 minutes. Okay. Yeah, I thought it was two and three. Can you confirm? The policy does state that, but that's not what the public was informed of given the sign-up period. Okay. Um so colleagues, we have 17 pre-registered speakers. Um I would love to hear from all of them, but would like to hear your consensus if we would um abide by the policy for 2 minutes for individuals and 3 minutes for organizations to allow all of them to speak. Are there any concerns with that? >> Okay. Um Here we go. So, we're going to ask you all if you could come up five at a time. Um once you come forward, please sign your name on the clipboard and then pass it behind you just so that we can move right

036along. We would love to hear from from everyone on tonight and so that would assist us in ensuring that things run smooth. Two and three. Yes. Okay, so our first speaker is Mariah White. And then we have Dr. Jacqueline Johnson-Wilson. Hope Elliott. Lisa DeLeo. I hope I got it right this time. I'm hoping. Um Chloe Trimper. As you hear your name, please step forward. You don't have to necessarily wait for it to be in order. Whoever comes first. Hi. You have a clipboard to sign. >> Okay, thank you. Uh good evening. My name is Hope Elliott and I'm a 6th District resident. As you know, much of the 6th District is made up of neighborhoods Okay, if you could just pull the mic closer to you so those that are viewing on can hear you.

037Thank you. >> me now? Okay. As you know, much of the 6th District is made up of neighborhoods that formed 50 years ago when racist policies like redlining and blockbusting pushed black folk into segregated areas of the city. The district, like many historically black areas of the city, is facing displacement and gentrification pressures. Rent and home prices have exploded. The black population in absolute and percentage terms has plummeted. City government, every branch, has done little to protect poor and legacy residents from being pushed out of the neighborhoods they love. While I'm glad to see newcomers bring life to the city and form multiracial neighborhoods, leaders of the city have turned a blind eye to the issues facing working-class, black, brown, and working-class people. Many have been left behind. Last month at the Richmond School Board

038meeting, serious allegations were put forward about the DIS process to replace Shonda Harris-Muhammed. The implication made by a member of this board and captured on the record was that the appointment process was flawed, unfair, and a violation of the law. While the recent appointment process was indeed corrupt and extra-legal, it was more importantly reinforcing of the racist and classist systems that have kept brown, black, and working-class Richmonders dispossessed and disenfranchised. Representation matters. The board not only took longer than the required by statute to replace Dr. Muhammed, it also played an active role in diminishing the voice of 6th District residents. Long before any public selection process had been announced before the cigar smoke had settled in the back room. 30 seconds. The media joined in with city leadership and paved the way for this body

039to ignore the accomplishments and willingness to serve of five black civic leaders seeking appointment. Many who lived in the district for decades. So when the end the hegemonic power structure decided who would be the next district school board member whether residents liked it or not. Thank you. She stated that she's speaking on behalf of an organization, but that's not how she registered initially. Good evening. Good evening. Could you please state your name for us? Dr. Jacqueline Johnson Wilson. Thank you. I'd like to thank everyone for their service to Richmond students. Federal code states that disabled children are legally entitled to a free appropriate public education delivered in the least restrictive environment closest to their home. This is Richmond Virtual Academy for my disabled son. He thrives at Richmond Virtual Academy. While other students have been

040given virtual options, those separate part to Richmond Virtual Academy, disabled students have been given no options. The suggested virtual options will not accept students requiring intensive support services. The superintendent suggested home school or private school as an option. These are not free, thus in violation of faith. A member suggested homebound or home-based education. Homebound, usually used in medical situations, is temporary. Quoted from RPS webpage, quote, "The ultimate goal is always to return students to the school setting as soon as possible." Unquote. Home-based is, quote, "For discipline-related reasons or other unique circumstances." Unquote. 22% of RVA students have a disability. For disabled students who already have challenges accessing their community, home-based instructions means means they will be educated in isolation, separating them from learning in community. This is cruel. Thus, homebound and home-based instruction are not

041appropriate and thus in violation of FAPE. It will cost RPS tens of thousands of dollars in necessary equipment and a one-to-one aide, as outlined in my son's IEP, to have my son return to in-person instruction. I have inquired, and most of these items are not in the warehouse. In my preparation for defense of RVA, I have have encountered allegations of emotional abuse and physical neglect of vulnerable disabled children in the classroom and concerns for their safety. I am sure settling potential lawsuits will cost RPS more than the cost of funding RVA, where children can be safely educated virtually at home in their least restrictive environment. VDOE has initiated a statewide virtual learning collaborative to support school divisions in virtual learning to help them, quote, "Align with Virginia's strategic priorities." Unquote. 32% So that quote, "Virtual

042learning remains a viable, rigorous, and student-centered option statewide." Unquote. I do not understand why RPS would go in a direction opposite VDOE when support is being offered. Applicants for admission to RVA demonstrate that Richmond parents want this virtual option. Over 200 applicants this school year, while available seats have been knee-capped to fifth time. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. My name is Chloe Trumper. I'm a teacher at Boushall Middle School and an academic architect for the district. I would like to provide each of you with a copy of the report myself and my colleague will be speaking on tonight. This report presents an analysis of the RPS budget for fiscal years 2024, 2025, 2026, and the proposed budget for 2027. The analysis was conducted by examining the provided budget documents to identify significant discrepancies, spending

043patterns, and audit-worthy signals that may indicate inefficiency, misclassification, or fiscal risk. The findings are organized into three sections: top risk areas, what this likely means, and what evidence you request next. We'll be reading the top five risk areas from the report, which are the five most concerning discrepancies the analysis found. Number one risk area, the grant cliff and unsustainable staffing obligations. The district is facing a catastrophic loss of federal revenue, primarily from the expiration of COVID-19 relief funds. Federal revenue plummeted from 11.2 million in fiscal year 25 to a projected 195,000 in fiscal year 27, a 98.3% collapse. Simultaneously, the district has been moving grant-funded into the general fund, creating permanent salary and benefit obligations that are no longer supported by temporary revenue. This includes at least 7.5 million in positions positions explicitly moved from

044grants to the general fund between fiscal year 24 and fiscal year 26, including nurses, counselors, social workers, and safety assistants. Budget risk area number two, chronic overspending and lack of control in other compensation. The other compensation object category, which includes stipends, overtime, and substitute pay, exhibits a pattern of extreme volatility and massive overspending compared to its budget. In fiscal year 25, the district budgeted 10 and 1/2 million for this category, but actual spending was 24.8 million, a 136% overrun. This is not an isolated incident. A similar pattern was observed in fiscal year 2022. This chronic under-budgeting for predictable costs suggests this line item may be used as a slush fund to cover unapproved spending with minimal oversight. Budget risk area number three, explosive growth in opaque purchase services. The fiscal year 27 budget proposed budget

045includes a 5.8 million, 25.9% single-year increase in purchase services, the largest percentage increase of any major category. The growth is concentrated in the least transparent areas. Professional services, 45.9% increase. Non-professional services, 61% increase. And tuition, 38.2% increase. This spike coincides with the cuts to in-house technical and clerical staff, suggesting a costly and inefficient shift to outside vendors and consultants without clear justification or competitive bidding. Thank you for your time. My colleague will continue this list during their public comment. Thank you. As you move forward, could we also ask D. Winston, Sophia Barberry, Brian Payton, and Justin Roberts, if you are here to please move forward and um sign the clipboard and prepare to speak, please. Good evening, um school board. Um my name is Luisa de la O. I'm an English teacher at Huguenot High

046School and REA member and a ninth district resident. I'm here today to call on the school board to meet their fiduciary responsibility by conducting an audit on this latest budget proposal. And also ask again that the clear backpack rule be removed. Um I have um 20 note cards um written by my students and um some examples of their broken backpacks, um, that I will leave here for you all. Um, first, have you all received a budget book for the superintendent's latest budget proposal? The public has not. This entire budget process has lacked transparency, and these proposals are full of poor budgeting practices, which are outlined in a forensic budget analysis report, um, that you all received a copy of. The five most, um, concerning discrepancies based on this report cite the Grant Cliff Chronicle overspending

047and a lack of control in other compensation, explosive growth and opaque purchase services, administrative bloat and disparity, and a systemic use of budget gimmicks and phantom savings. Um, this budget process shows a lack of consideration for our school staff who actually show up for, uh, in front of our students every day. You are once again, uh, planning on cutting Richmond Virtual Academy, a school of record that has practically no overhead cost, and its main costs are toward paying staff. 30 seconds. >> Our students need, um, this school, and it is shameful that you push staff to show up annually. Moving on, um, second, students have shared with me so many times that they want to see the clear backpack rule removed. How much money did this district spend on clear backpacks that fall apart on

048students constantly? Stu- 20 students have written to you, um, about their problems with the clear backpacks. Their reasons include that they are they are an invasion of privacy, and they do not actually create a safer environment. Um, removing this rule would make an impact on our students. Thank you. >> You have 30 seconds left of your time. Sorry, one moment. It's okay. Once you sign up, you can just pass it back. That would be great. Good evening, school board members. My name is Sophia Barbieri. I'll be continuing to read uh the top risk areas from the report my colleague Chloe Chambers started speaking on. Number four, administrative bloat and disparity. Central office spending and staffing levels are disproportionately high and growing faster than school level resources. In fiscal year '24, central administration accounted for 16.8%

049of the budget, far exceeding the national benchmark of 5 to 10%. The per FTE cost for central office employee was 65% higher than a school-based employee. This trend continues in subsequent years with a fiscal year '27 budget proposing a 25.5% increase in the administration object class while cutting technical and clerical support staff by 8 to 10%. Furthermore, central office staff receive higher raises, 5%, than teachers, 3%, in the fiscal year '26 budget. Number five, systemic use of budget gimmicks and phantom savings. Budgets rely on non-recurring tricks to appear balanced. The fiscal year '26 budget claimed 3.1 million in savings from elimination of long-open vacancies, positions that were never filled and thus represent no actual reduction in spending. This phantom saving was used to offset new spending. Other tactics include repeatedly right-sizing budgets to reflect actuals

050and omission of poor budgeting, shifting the student activity fund audit on and off the books, and moving the Comprehensive Services Act program to a special revenue fund to reduce general fund expenditures on paper. That concludes the list of budget risk areas from the report. However, I'd like to speak on this last area further. Claiming savings from the elimination of in-school staff positions because they've been vacant for a long time is wrong in so many ways. Those positions remain vacant for a reason. Few people join this profession wanting to quit, but the lack of support teachers receive and the amount of work piled on our plate sets us up for burnout. When districts and schools face shortages, they often hire under-prepared teachers or those who are not not certified. Staff classrooms with long-term subs, increase class

051sizes, cancel courses, and add responsibilities to existing teachers. >> much. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Justin Roberts. I am a resident of the second district and I'm also an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a volunteer with the Richmond Liberation Center. But more importantly, I am a community member who is frustrated to have to prevent or present what I feel is a common sense perspective on the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget. I was just outside where students, staff, and teachers rallied to voice their concerns with the proposed budget and what I learned as an adult from Richmond's children upsets me. It is not easy as a member of the public to access access or understand the proposed budget and it certainly doesn't help that once again these proposals are down

052to the wire with limited transparency, but I can certainly share what I learned and why it concerns me. I learned of proposed cuts to vision insurance, proposed decreases to the share of medical insurance covered by RPS to its staff, proposed cutting substitute teacher hours from 7-hour to 8-hour days, which would effectively eliminate their eligibility for full-time benefits, and more. I moved to Richmond to complete my bachelor's degree in health sciences. First of all, proposed budget cuts to insurance is a financial decision, not an inevitability. Second, in my time studying medical care, I know that it is a fact that financial burden is the number one reason people avoid seeking much needed and often life-saving care. Creating barriers to health and well-being of the people who make education possible in the city when I hear concerns

053of mold and undone maintenance every time I am in this room is unacceptable. A few months back I was here supporting RPS workers who were defending their right to collective bargaining, which was met with this board's mantra of fiduciary responsibility. Imagine my frustration when that mantra does not seem to apply universally. This presents itself as a contradiction between words and actions. Other speakers have spoken and will speak extensively on analyses that indicate that there are serious flaws in financial planning here. Fiduciary responsibility is a two-way road. When it comes to your fiduciary responsibility, it is your duty to put our money where your mouth is. I urge the board to make the right decision by orienting the budget to a needs-based budget. And also, I urge you to stick to your word and demonstrate your

054seriousness about fiduciary responsibility by submitting to an audit to guide the proper allocation of funds as opposed to simply cutting important budget items in the face of a shortfall. Believe me, as a graduate into this economy, I know that budgeting is hard. But I also know that it requires a deep interrogation of how money is spent and why. Anything else at the expense of health is irresponsible. I see my time. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening. I would like to take the time to personally thank those of you that advocated for >> before you speak, could you introduce yourself to us so we know who you are? Preston. P. Winston. Good evening. Again, I would like to take the time to personally thank each of you that advocated for Richmond Virtual Academy. I stand here

055as a deeply disappointed parent of a student at Richmond Virtual Academy. Richmond Virtual Academy is a safe environment in which my student, and not just my student, all through students in that school thrive. The district leadership penned a term, we love you here. When you go on the website, you see this, we love you here, but that is not showing love with even considering doing away with Richmond Virtual Academy. I'm going to read a quote at this time from ABC News. No matter who you are, where you come from or how you define yourself, we will always do everything humanly possible to protect you and keep you safe. Camera said in a video message on social media. Richmond Virtual Academy provides that environment. So, I'm going to give us all something to remember on as

056we have some decency and consider others. This comes from Proverbs chapter 26. A lying tongue hated those that is afflicted by and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein and he or she that roll with a stone, it will return upon him or her. I'm done. Thank you so much. As you move forward, we're going to ask for the next five to come forward. Adam Rose, Kimberly Jones, Mary Grisham, Tomorrow Pixson, Pickens, my apologies, Lofton. Good evening. My name is Brian Peyton. I'm the president of Teamsters Local 322. It's been a very interesting evening here for me. I've seen young kids, students engage in uh government matters. And for me, that's very compelling. It shows that students who are impacted by some of the decisions, some of the topics that

057are being discussed here right now, are willing to stand up and use this process to make sure that they receive fair representation. It's commendable. I want to want to start off with a very brief quote that I once heard. Show me where the money goes and I will show you where your priorities are. Please use the resources that are available to the school board, to the city of Richmond, wisely. It has taken courage for people to come out here and brave the freezing cold and speak on a matter that is very uh significant to them and to their families. I've heard conversations about mental health. I've heard conversations about people not being able to attend schools properly. I've heard a whole bunch of different things that I don't have the time and the board probably

058doesn't have the energy to to to cover. I will say this, it is irresponsible to gamble with the future of these children, these students, and the next generation of the city of Richmond, and this great state. Those who bear the sacred responsibility of governing the school board and staring the future of these children, we implore you to advocate for the future. Protect those who are vulnerable. Use your position to advocate for those who have had their voices silenced in the past in a bureaucratic echo chamber. Simply put, we ask you to have an audit and to implement a legitimate needs-based approach. Please do the right thing. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. I was writing my name on this uh clipboard right here. Good evening. My name is Tamara Lofton Pickens. Um most people call

059me Ms. LP or just LP. I am the Richmond Virtual Academy's instructional compliance coordinator. I have had the privilege to speak to most of you on the board and I appreciate your time and your uh conversation. I like that yellow. It goes with the yellow and blue that RVA represents. Like that. Um I had written a whole long comment uh conversation to you all this morning, but I have a few questions here. Is our math on how much we will save by closing RVA off because it's based on the wrong number of courses? If 50% of virtual students were withdrawn when we only had an external provider in the past, remember we've been through this before. It's been a lot of trauma. This is our second time being proposed to close. So, the first time

060we had about 2,000 students with Virtual Virginia. Um they will take your money if you are not self-motivated and send you back into the building. So, I asked that to say if 50% of virtual students were withdrawn when we were only we only used that external provider in the past and their tuition was non-refundable, have we factored that loss of students into the numbers? How does it affect an overall ADM and consequently state funding if we have a virtual model that isn't effective at retaining students? Remember, they'll take your money and send the students back. Why can't y'all use RPS teachers? We're already here. Why do we have to keep applying and interviewing for positions that we already hold? We have families. These families here love RVA. I have kids. They are kids. Why can't

061we do the right thing with this money? Why is it always that RPS is always short of money? Why don't we have a district representative that votes for us? >> Thank you so much for your time. >> Why? Thank you. God bless y'all and have a good night. >> Good evening. Hello there. I'm Adam Rose and on the behalf of the parents and educators here at RVA and those at home, we like Pi Day. But instead of thinking about Pi Day, we spent the last 5 weeks being traumatized and confused again as we fight for our very existence. I've had the privilege of seeing my children transformed by RVA. It's been a lifeline for my family in crisis. My children have learning differences. They were experiencing social alienation, deep depression, and other differences while also

062dealing with their mom's terminal cancer uh diagnosis. But everyone has a story and that's the point and mine is no more special than the others and it's been a privilege to meet and understand and be a part of a community that is RVA. RVA is a gift for the students that are hardest for RPS to serve and they are thriving. They have statistics that RPS dream about district-wide. 100% graduation rates, full accreditation, low absenteeism, and they have more demand than they have seats. Use it. We're contemplating closing RVA once again as Henrico and Chesterfield and statewide they're investing. They are seeing the value in bringing local talented teachers who lead with love and technical tools. That's not offered in the options that are provided right now if RVA were to close. My kids, most of

063these kids were failed by in-person school. They were failed by corporate virtual options. We need one more board member today to give us hope. I know yesterday there was a lot of talk about not wanting to get our hopes up. I will take that hope. Thank you. Thank you. As you come forward, we'll ask um Andrea Bryant, Melanie Winters, Melody Winters, my apologies. Laquisha Williams and Felicia Minor. Good evening. Dear Superintendent, School Board, and Richmond Public School Community. Could you state your name? >> I'm Kimberly Jones. Proud middle school English teacher at the Richmond Virtual Academy. And the Richmond Virtual Academy again is on the chopping block. Staff, parents, and students are confused and in mourning that our school can possibly be eliminated without a thought to the lives that it will affect. We teach

064students that don't fit into the brick-and-mortar classroom. We teach students that are unmercifully bullied. We teach students that need a safe environment to thrive. And we teach students who need extra help and extra encouragement to survive the school day. At Richmond Virtual Academy, we offer more than just an education. We offer safe and inclusive classrooms with a sense of family and love. We are in the homes of our students and we have close relationships with whole families. In our middle school, we have the ability to teach our students all three years. We know our students well. We see their growth from year to year and are able to prepare them for that next step into high school. 30 seconds. Many students, parents, and teachers are counting on you to save us. Please consider keeping Richmond

065Virtual Academy as an option for students, families, and staff. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. Evening. Good evening, Chair Fernandez, members of the school board, and Superintendent Kamras. My name is Andrea Bryant, president of the Richmond Education Association. We are here today We are here tonight because we appreciate that some priorities have been restored. The proposed While some proper priorities have been restored, the proposed 2026-2027 budget still includes millions of dollars in cuts that will be harmful to students and the people who serve them. Let's be clear about what these cuts mean. Stripping vision insurance from hardworking employees. My glasses with the insurance cost $400. So, I can't imagine how much my glasses are going to cost without vision insurance. And my whole family wears glasses. Closing the widely beloved RBA without a clear evaluation

066according to the policies mentioned last night. Laying off 46 staff members. Reducing hours and pay for substitutes who already struggle to make ends meet. Rolling back investments in student programming and school operations. We are obstructing the path towards equity, the path towards stability. It is certainly not a path towards closing opportunity gaps in Richmond. Superintendent Kamras is proposing a budget that walks backward at a time when our students need us to move forward. REA demands two things. First, a needs-based budget. If we are serious about protecting student services and closing opportunity gaps, then we must present City Council with a budget that reflects what our students actually need. Not one that preemptively cuts staffing and programs. We cannot receive funding that we do not ask for. Closed mouths don't get fed. If we send a

067smaller a smaller vision for RPS to City Council, that is exactly what we will get. We should be mindful that backup plans are great for preparedness, but a needs-based budget should be the primary plan. Second, a clear public audit or financial analysis that breaks down how and where money is spent without having to search all over all over the RPS website to match categories with contracts and expenditures. For the past decade, RPS has received consistent increases in funding. While we know that inflation causes increased expenses, we should see steady growth in programming, staffing, and services. Instead, we started this budget discussing a $31 million shortfall. The public deserves transparency. Educators deserve transparency. Families deserve transparency. That is why REA is calling for an independent external audit of RPS spending beyond the annual RPS report. One

068that fully answers the questions being raised by educators and the community. Our message is simple. Please don't balance the budget on the backs of students and workers. Stop. Thank you. Madam Chair, we've reached the 30-minute mark. Thank you. And so, based upon policy, we automatically extend to 45. Yes. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Felicia Minor. I'm speaking on behalf of my daughter and why Richmond Virtual Academy has mattered so much to our family's safety. When my daughter attended school in person, she was bullied. Her siblings felt like they had to protect her. My daughter would run around run run in and out of the building. She She would run out of the classroom without clothes on. That is not safe. Dignity. I was I was sending her to school with clean pull-ups and

069marked them. She would come home wearing the same pull-ups soaking wet. Her clothes would be cut cut up and wet. Her nose and face were often be covered with mucus. Many times, she came to the came home on the bus without a coat and her book bag. She always was sick consistently. Every child deserves dignity. My daughter deserves dignity. Personal needs. My daughter does not understand personal space. She wants to hug and kiss everyone. She needs supervision and support. Impact on my ability to work. I was called every single day. While trying to work and pay my bills, I felt like I might as well be a teacher. I didn't I get paid for that. If we are talking about budgets, then put me in your budget. Budget reality. The only item written for us

070provided for my daughter and and at RVA is a Chromebook. Every student do have a Chromebook. I paid my electric bill. Not Not Not written I paid my electric bill. I paid my Wi-Fi. So, what exactly are you paying for? Growth and learning. Since attending Richmond Virtual Academy, my daughter has grown tremendously. So, she can now write her name. She can't do things she never done before. >> I'm sorry, it's time. Okay. Thank you so much for coming tonight. Good evening. Hi, my name is Melody Winters. I'm on the REA board. I'm a member of the eighth district, and I'm American Sign Language Interpreter at Huguenot High School. I live in the district in which I work. At the I I work at the school in which I live in the neighborhood. Uh thank you

071for honoring the CBAs that we negotiated previously and doing some preparing and investment in the upcoming budget. But I'm here today to speak on the concerns I have about our health care uh with the loss of vision and also asking us as educators to cover the increase. Our vision is bundled with our medical insurance. Our dental is a separate card, but our vision is bundled with our medical. Now, when I bundle my homeowners and my car my car insurance, I get a discount. When I then drop one of those, whatever insurance is left goes up. So, I'm pretty sure that bundling our vision and our medical is going to have a negative effect, and we're going to have an increase from that, and I've asked about that and have not had an answer. So, that's

072one increase right there. Then, there also will be a second increase because insurance always goes up from year to year. So, how much of an increase are we actually going to have that we're going to have to pay 50% of? We don't know, and we have had none of those numbers. And please ask yourself, will a 2% raise for the majority of the staff that are teachers in the licensed personnel unit, is that 2% going to cover the health care increase and the loss of vision? Because it won't. We'll make less money next year. 30 seconds. Also, I asked you to consider that all of these things will affect our retirement. $800 was a figure I was given last year for somebody retiring that they will have to pay out of what they get for

073their retirement. Once we lose vision now, we won't have it in retirement, and also health care increases now will affect retirement for people. In addition to that, all of these things that we have retained teachers, it is because we have vision we retain people. It's not extra. It is because we have these raises that we retain others. And that is also student achievement. >> you so much for your time this evening. How much time do we have remaining? 10 and 1/2 minutes. All right, at this time we do have a little bit of time remaining. If there is someone who had not pre-registered would like the opportunity to speak, please come forward, sign your name on the clipboard. We'll try and get as many people as we possibly can in the next 10 minutes. Once

074you sign the clipboard, please pass it back to the next person. Um my name is Shalita Salley and I'm here representing my son London Salley as well as Richmond Virtual Academy. I brought him today instead of a script because I want you all to be able to visualize what a special needs child actually looks like. A lot of people take it for granted that um special needs is just autism. So, they don't need much support. But do you know that he cannot see? He's legally blind. He is incontinent so he will defecate. He will urinate. Um he cannot feed himself. He would have to be tube fed. He gets several medications including a heavily regulated cannabis medicine and we definitely don't want something like that in the schools. So, in addition to all of these

075um medical conditions he has, he also is extremely violent. We have permanent scars on our hands, sometimes on our faces. He does not know boundaries. He will attack another student. If he's in a special needs class, these students possibly don't know boundaries. They won't know to stay away from him. So, they will go home with permanent marks as well. So, you'll get complaints from parents. At the end of the day um he is probably on the severe case, but there's several students in his class that's just like him. You know, so he's going to need a lifting chair. He's going to need equipment. Everything that we already have in our homes. So, when we're talking about cost, are we actually calculating to the penny that how much you're going to cost for a $6,000 lifting

076chair, for thousands of dollars worth of visual equipment? Everything that most of us, if not all of us, have in our home already. So, I understand like you like I said before, we may think of special needs, you don't see it every day. Even if you even if you see us in passing, you don't know our everyday struggles. We're going to need one-on-one care and I'm telling you my child is not going to come home with a soaking wet diaper. We would rather be in in truancy court instead of sending him to a virtual actual school. Keep virtual learning a thing, even if it's something you have to reinvent as far as Thank you. Thank you. Have you already signed the clipboard? Okay, good evening. Good evening. My name is Roslyn Anderson and I'm also

077vice president of REA, but I am speaking on behalf of school nutrition service. Today I stand before you to address a significant concern that impacts not just our school nutrition department, but the overall well-being of our students. This concerns centers around a critical aspect of of our operation, communication. In recent times, it has been clearly it has become become increasingly clear that effective communication is lacking with our department. Instead of for fostering collaboration and understanding, we find ourselves in an environment rife with retaliation, discipline, which un- ultimately undermines our mission to nourish and educate our children. First, let's consider the importance of effective communication. In any organization, especially one as vital as school nutrition services department, our open lines of communication that are essential. They allow us to share ideas, concerns, and work together towards

078the common goal. Unfortunately, when communication breaks down, misunderstanding arises. These misunderstandings can lead to mistakes in the menu planning, food safety, and ultimately a decline in quality of the service we provide to our students. Instead of addressing these issues through con- constructive um constructive dialogue, we often witness a culture of retaliation. Individuals may feel threatened, leading to reluctance to voice our concerns or propose new ideas. This recreates a vicious cycle where staff members are hesitant to collaborate fearing retribution for being perceived misstep. Rather than leading learning from mistakes, we end up punishing them with um It's just It's a toxic environment right now. And I don't like it it because it's becoming to the point where some of us don't want to go to work in the morning. Time. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening

079again, school board and superintendent cameras. Please allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Beth Hosek. I'm a middle school science teacher at the Richmond Virtual Academy. I'm currently working through Longwood's educational leadership program. I recently finished my school finance course, so boy, do I understand the strain on the eyes that these budget documents can cause along with the importance of proposing a needs-based budget. Before that, however, I was a student here in RPS. J.B. Fisher, Albert Hill, Open High School. What do these three schools have in common with the reason that I am here tonight? School choice. My family had the opportunity and choice to decide where I went to school. By removing RVA from the budget, we are taking that same choice away from families who have chosen the best fit for their

080scholars. RVA provides high-quality engaging education to students with needs that are difficult to meet or that cannot be addressed in our brick-and-mortar buildings. We provide synchronous instruction, live face-to-face, sometimes face-to-forehead, if you know, you know, but that instruction is very different from the Virtual Virginia model, where students complete most of their coursework asynchronously. Virtual Virginia does have a place in our district, but it is not providing daily core instructions to students. It is to expand our elective and our language courses. It's to offer advanced courses for scholars at schools where there isn't a teacher to take on that prep. It is not for our youngest and our most vulnerable learners who still need active engagement, social interaction, and teacher support as they learn to be self-motivated learners. I thank the board members who support reinstating

081RVA to the budget. One more thing before my time is up. The proposal to close RVA impacts 29 employees. Minimum. Information was requested from staff and shared via email to all of the board members today to understand RVA staff retention rates if the proposal passes and leaves RVA off the budget. For a district that emphasizes teacher retention and claims to be student-outcome oriented, the closure of RVA, at minimum right now, you're looking at losing at least 25% of your highly qualified and experienced teachers. Thank you. >> How will that affect outcomes? Thank you so much. And just to set expectations, we're probably getting down to the last one or two comments. We have 3 minutes and 20 seconds remaining. Good evening, members of the Richmond Public Schools School Board. My name is Renaya Crutchfield, and

082I am an 11th-grade student. I'm here to speak not just as a student, but as someone whose life was changed by Richmond Virtual Academy. Before RVA, school was overwhelming for me. I struggled to concentrate, and I dealt with being picked on. Every day felt heavy. I didn't feel safe, confident, or capable. School wasn't a place where I could grow. It was a place where I was just trying to survive. When I switched to RVA, I finally felt seen. Learning from home gave me peace. It gave me focus. It gave me room to breathe without fear of bullying. My confidence grew, my anxiety faded, and my academic performance soared. I became valedictorian and took high school classes early, something I never believed was possible for me. RVA also gave me teachers who care and friendships that

083prove connection does not just disapp- disappear just because learning is virtual. RVA didn't isolate me, it empowered me. If RVA is closed, students like me will lose more than a school option. We will lose safety, opportunity, and a safe and a system that allows us to succeed. Please do not take that away. Thank you for listening to my story. Thank you. This will probably have to be the last speaker because we will have exceeded our time. Thank you. Good evening. Jessica Whitaker. Thank you guys for allowing me the opportunity to speak. I am here to respectfully ask that Richmond Virtual Academy remain in the RPS budget. For many families like mine, RVA is not simply an option. It has become a vital part of our children's educational journey and overall well-being. My son was in

084kindergarten when COVID changed the world and forced students into virtual learning. His class is now rising seventh graders, a generation of students who have essentially grown up learning in a virtual environment and have never truly experienced a traditional brick-and-mortar school setting as their norm. For them, RVA is not an adjustment. It is the educational foundation they have known for most of their lives. At the same time, we cannot ignore the reality facing today's youth. Across the country, mental health challenges amongst young people are rising at alarming rates. Programs like RVA provide an environment where students who may struggle in traditional settings can still thrive academically, feel supported, and remain connected to their peers and teachers. Virtual learning also reflects the techno- the technolog- uh technological world our children are prepared to enter. Programs like RVA

085help students build digital literacy, independence, and collaboration skills that will serve them well beyond the classroom. For many families, this model also reduces significant financial and logistical burdens, providing flexibility while ensuring our children still receive a strong education. Most importantly, RVA has created a community. Our children learn together, support one another, and build meaningful connections despite their differences. What began as a response to a global crisis has grown into a place where many students finally feel seen, included, and able to succeed. So, tonight, I ask you to remember that RVA is more than a program. It is a lifeline for many families. Thank you so much. Unfortunately, we are now at time for our public comments. We do thank you so much for being here this evening. That will conclude our public information session. And

086now, we will transition to the budget uh session. 5.01 receive the receive for approval the FY '27 operating and CIP budgets. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening, everyone. I first want to thank everyone who came this evening for public comment. It is not easy to come and speak in public, and so I wanted to personally thank each and every one of you along with everyone who has written, called, texted, uh grabbed folks in the supermarket aisle, and and more uh over the last several weeks regarding the budget. Tonight, I do present to the board the final iteration of our budget based on several weeks of conversation, debate, and discussion. I'm proud that we have come to a place, and fortunate that we have been able to come to a place where we are able to

087honor all of our existing collective bargaining commitments. That was our number one priority. Number two, provided 2% raise for all of our teachers and other staff currently under negotiations. Modify our health care increase uh cost sharing proposal with our employees bringing it from 50% down to 25%. Fully funding all of our mental health and wraparound services contracts, and fully funding summer school. Unfortunately, given the fiscal reality that we face there are still reductions in the final proposal including the closure of Richmond Virtual Academy, which of course we would all love to avoid, and the reduction of 46 central office FTEs. I did want to personally again recognize that losing one's job is incredibly disconcerting, incredibly anxiety producing and I do want all of those employees to know that we will continue to do everything we

088possibly can and help them find other places within RPS. I want to express gratitude to the General Assembly for their increased proposals for next year. We will continue to advocate and ensure that we get the best of the House and the Senate. I also want to express my gratitude to the City of Richmond uh who has invested deeply in RPS over the last several years, and I am cautiously optimistic that they will continue to do so. Finally, I want to thank uh our budget director uh Lynn Braga, as well as chief of staff Sharena Cheng, for their tireless work on this budget. Hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, of hours. And of course, I want to thank all of you, my school board colleagues. This is not easy work, making very hard decisions and I'm

089grateful for all of your questions, all of your pushes, all of your conversations and debates. Um I do believe this is a budget that reflects our values in that under very tight fiscal constraints, we have upheld our commitments. We have prioritized schools to the best of our ability, and we have been fiscally responsible, which is our duty to the public. With that, Madam Chair, Absolutely not. We will not have outburst in this room. We welcome you to sit and be a part of this conversation quietly, but if you have another outburst, you will be removed. Thank you. With that, Madam Chair, I present to you the budget, which includes $454,833,089 for the general revenue fund, $91,808,424 for the special revenue fund, and $10,318,000 for the capital improvement plan. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Hixenbaugh. Thank

090you, Madam Chair. Is um I I plan to make a motion um and I'm wondering if it this is a good time or if you would rather have conversation first. Typically we have emotion and then we have debate. So All right. Uh Madam Chair, I um I motion to amend the super superintendent's FY27 budget to include fully funding Richmond Virtual Richmond Virtual Academy and approving it as amended. Second. It's been moved by Mr. Hedgepath and seconded by Mr. Farooq. Um now there's a matter of debate. Colleagues, what are your thoughts? I'm sorry. You all need to include the values that Mr. Kamaras just read aloud in the motion. Okay. The values would be different. Okay. >> That because that would add $3 million to the budget. Okay. And so I would um have to provide

091those to you. Um which I can do. It would be 458 million 43,630. The other values would remain the same. Do you want to clarify it? That means our ask of the city will go from roughly 9 million to roughly 12 million. Thank you. Would you like to restate the motion? Madam Chair, I need the superintendent to repeat that number one more time. Please. Happily. 458 million 43,630 for the general revenue fund. 91,808,424 for the special revenue fund. Happily, we'll share it to you. I'm going to email it to you. Yes, but he has to read the entire budget motion, so he's going to email it to him so he can have that information. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I restate my motion. I motion to approve the FY27 Richmond City Public Schools budget, including

092uh 400 and 58,833 dollars and I'm so sorry. Let's try from the top. It's okay. Okay. I'm a social studies teacher. Math is not my Mr. Chambers, would you please email it to me as well? Thank you, Superintendent. I move to approve the Richmond Public Schools Uh I have provided a entirely uh fresh motion for uh Mr. Hedgepeth to provide. Um again, it would change the budget to increase the city revenue line from roughly 9 million to roughly 12 million. And so, we would make that adjustment if this motion passes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. uh Superintendent. I move to approve the Richmond Public Schools School Board budget including 458 million 443,630 for the general revenue fund, 91 million 808,424 for the special revenue fund, and 10 million 318,000 for the capital improvement

093plan. Second. It's been moved by Mr. Hedgepeth and seconded by Mr. Farooq. And now there's the matter of debate. Mr. Farooq. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to give some background, which is that we have all worked very hard when it comes to researching and planning how we spend the public's money on our kids. I view our budget because we do not have revenue authority. We don't tax people. We don't collect taxes. I personally view the public school budget as a document that should lay out what resources we need to appropriately accomplish our strategic plan goals. That doesn't necessarily mean the budget gets everything I want. But to me, it does mean that it can be a little bit aspirational. So, I am seconding this motion. I'm going to vote in favor. I voted in

094favor last night, but I just want to be clear that last year we asked for and I invite Mr. Camera to correct me if I'm wrong 30 to 35 million over our base budget, but only got about 10 million from the city. This coming year the city staff city council have told us all year that the budget will be tight. And so the superintendent's original proposal was to ask for 9 million more. We're now asking for 12 million more. I don't have any problem asking for that. But I just want to be clear what the context is. For that reason, I plan to vote in favor, but I want to be really transparent with everyone about that. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Ms. Rizzi. Thank you, Madam Chair. I um certainly recognize the impact

095that RBA has had on many families. Um I think that I want to consider this from a practical lens. I would love I don't know if anyone can provide this information so that we don't end up here again. Do we have projections on or do we have historic data that shows that RBA is growing? What is it? Because I don't want to end up here again. Uh this is the second time. Whoever said that is true it's true. It is the second time this exact thing has been on the table this way. And so what I want to know I mean I I I can't I certainly would be happy to put this on the list of items that we could restore if we get enough get you know the ask um over what we

096ask, right? But again, I want to be concerned I want to also make sure that this is a good investment, a strong investment that will last for years. And so I am curious about whether or not RBA has shown growth, whether we project growth um and therefore more of a demand for this school. Would you like to address that or come back to that? Okay. Mr. Hedgepeth. Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't have an exact number, but my understanding is that uh to Ms. Rizzi's question is that it has been um in that there has been demand, but that has it been uh intentionally set lower um to keep the program smaller. Um I would welcome someone to challenge me on that, but that's my understanding. Mr. Chambers. No, it it hasn't been uh intentionally

097kept smaller. We only have so much money and can only afford so many teachers. Um and so based on the number of teachers we have, uh we have uh filled the seats as best as we can. Um I'm pulling up. Look. Uh in the current year, um RBA has one kindergartner, one first grader. This is as of the fall membership. So, there could be slight changes between then and now. That was done on September 30th. One kindergartner, one first grader, seven second graders, four third graders, seven fourth graders, 16 fifth graders, 22 sixth graders, 21 seventh graders, 23 eighth graders, 17 ninth graders, 13 10th graders, 20 11th graders, and one senior. Ms. Rizzi. Thank you. Um and Mr. Kamras, does that mean that you said that all of the slots are filled? So, for

098example, the grades that have only like one student, is that all the seats that are offered? No, there there could be more in those grades, yes. Ms. Holton I have a question first and then make comment later, but my question uh Mr. Kamras, you spoke to your ability uh to place all I think you said you can place the staff at RVA uh at at Richmond Virtual Academy elsewhere if the decision is made now as opposed to later. And you addressed why now versus later matters, number one, and number two can you tell us what efforts and or will be made to place the students at RVA elsewhere and what impact timing might have on that as well. Mr. Kamras Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Ms. Holton, for the question. The The challenge

099is that uh if the board approves the motion on the table and funding is not sufficient for us to afford RVA uh the budget wouldn't actually formally come back to us until uh likely the May or June time frame because the city has until May 31st to adopt their budget. We also don't know um if the state will complete its budget work on time or as has happened in years past, it has dragged on for many months. What that means is we could find out come May, come June that we can't afford the program and then would at that time have to let those individuals know we will have many fewer vacancies at that point in the hiring season. And so I can no longer guarantee that we would be able to slot all of

100the RVA teachers, for example, into vacancies. In addition, because we're at more of the beginning of the hiring season, there is an opportunity for RVA teachers, yes, to interview, not because they must interview, but because the best placement is a mutual placement, one where the staff member is happy and the school is happy. The opportunity for that narrows every day that passes because there are fewer opportunities for those interns. And so I do worry we would potentially be in a position of no longer be able being able to slot all teachers and uh and certainly not having them go into positions that would be their first choice. As far as the students, um our enrollment team has been in touch with families and are engaged in conversations about what would be the best next step

101for their family. We have extended the open enrollment window for those families that want to participate in that process. We will support anyone that would like to participate in the state's virtual program process, uh discuss uh homebound options for any families that require those services. Um and so that is an ongoing process that has already started and will will until all families have made their final decisions. Sure. Just one follow-up, if a student's IEP indicates a difficulty being in a traditional school building, what what kind of accommodations would be offered to those families? Yes, we would, of course, honor whatever a student's IEP requires as mandated by federal law. Um to my knowledge, there is only one student currently enrolled at RVA whose IEP requires, for example, uh a one-to-one aide, and so we would

102ensure that that continues and any other services that would be required uh for that student if they were in the in-person setting, as we do for many students all across the school division that have intensive needs from medical uh to intellectual uh to social uh all across the school system. Uh so, that is something that we do do. However, if there is a a need for homebound instruction, that is also a service that we provide. Uh the instructors for that programming have not uh been affected by any of these cuts, and they would continue to be available to provide those services. Thank you. Mr. Hedgepath. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh my my question is that has um has RVA been uh included in the an open enrollment opportunities that our students have uh have had

103um related to our brick-and-mortar buildings? And if uh if so, if we maintain RVA, um can the reverse happen, right? If we have a larger um number of students requesting to move to RVA. Can we reassign a teacher as we do uh between schools now in brick and mortar schools if our sections grew because we promoted RVA with fidelity? Um could we end up transitioning some teachers uh to the virtual academy as we do again through our our um our brick and mortar buildings? Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Hedgepeth for the question. Um number one, we do include RVA in the open enrollment process just like every other school in RPS. It is promoted on equal footing with every other school. Um of course we um uh certainly as we do with all

104schools, we level as is as is needed. Um however, as as we have discussed leveling is in part science and in part art because it is rare that the exact right number of students moves from one school to the next uh such that you're able to move one teacher uh from one school to the other, but of course as the need is uh required, we would certainly do so. As the numbers here indicate, I think the demand particularly at the elementary level is not strong. It's no commentary on the service provided. It's just uh those are the numbers. Um and for whatever reason as you can see um as we get towards the end of uh students' careers um the share one senior and so uh for whatever reason not strong demand there. I Ms.

105Ricard and then Mr. Jafari. Thank you, Madam Chair. I I a few um questions and comments if it's all right. Um Mr. Cameras, I hear and it is of course on the website that you know, homebound is traditionally done for a short-time medical concern, students in treatment, surgeries. Has that ever been extended for longer just because of the general medical condition or psychological need of a child to be virtual for longer? Thank you, Madam Chair. I would ask um Chief Parks, if she is available to to speak to that question. >> [clears throat] >> Good evening, board members and Superintendent Cameras. Mr. Carr, would you please repeat that question? I'm sorry, I was responding to another email. No, um I read the homebound thing and yes, typically it is short term. I guess I'm curious

106if the student's medical needs or psychological needs documented by a psychiatrist, has homebound ever been extended for a much longer period of time so the child be more successful virtually or or elsewhere? Absolutely. And so, um I think there's a common misconception about our home instruction program overall. So, the state of Virginia requires us to have a home instruction program. We have, because of the various needs of our students, created a model where we have three particular areas where students can fall under. RVA is separate from that, although it is a part of it, but it hasn't always been. Historically, it was its own department, but because a lot of the instruction is virtual, because we've learned to do some creative things because of COVID, it just seemed like that was a great fit. So,

107we have our homebound, which is primarily for medical reasons. Um a student may not have an IEP, but that is an option. Um there is a criteria. It has to be recertified. We look at it every 9 weeks just to make sure unless a doctor has written a finite period of time. But, we also want to make sure that the student has been cleared by their clinical psychologist or either their physician. The other piece is the homebound piece, and that's specifically for students with disabilities. The duration and the frequency of those services is determined by the student's IEP team. And so, it could be a blended learning model. All of those conversations happen within the confines of an IEP meeting. That is not determined by anybody at the division level, specifically the student's IEP, which

108includes the student's family, of course, and any related service providers, which would be that peach, that speech, occupational therapists. If it is in a clinical counseling services, all of those folks are included in the conversation. And then we have our home instruction model that is specifically for our students who may exhibit some disciplinary issues or some students for reasons such as court involvement, they're unable to come physically into a school building until those charges have been resolved. Ms. Record. Thank you, Ms. Parks. Um I think I I I would just like to say um you know, I had a student who um prior to COVID was in my office at least every week due to a discipline issue. She would frequently erupt in class. She couldn't self-regulate. Um bright as a whip, but just struggling.

109And then COVID hit, and we were virtual. And when COVID returned, she never came back into the building. She stayed virtual. And she was a different child in her classes. Her teachers said she was on time, her assignments were turned in, she was thriving. She graduated, and I know she graduated because of virtual learning. So, I know it it may appear that I don't understand the value, but I I do. And in fact, when the superintendent presented his initial budget, virtual learning was a concern that I brought up to him. Um I think the other thing is you know, if we add it back into the budget, I am concerned about we'll be here in 3 or 4 months. And um as being charged with being fiscally responsible, I have to look at where the

110dollars help the greatest number of children. And so, in that order, it would have to be for me honoring our teachers CBAs because our teachers deserve to be paid well, and that helps us retain them. Um our mental health services for all our students, fully funding that. 1 minute. >> And then finally, and then fully funding summer school. And then under that would be Richmond Virtual Academy. Um and that's just in the order of the most children served and benefited by. Thank you. Mr. Jafari. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I must say right off the bat, I am a yes vote for Mr. Ward. And I don't see that out of uh failure to understand our fiduciary responsibility. I say that because as was pointed out last night, and the code was read, everything that's

111done just boil down to numbers. We are challenged with the duty to deliver educational services in an equitable manner as well. And while I know we haven't heard of from everybody, the testimonials that I've heard here this evening convince me that we are reaching the program is reaching where it should be reaching. I did have a couple of questions that perhaps uh superintendent can help me on. Over the course of the IB program, have the numbers fluctuated and if so, how? What is the average that we're looking at? I know we have current numbers that are rather static in nature, but o- over the length, the duration of the program, what does it reveal? Mr. Chambers. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh thank you, Mr. Jafari. The numbers for the last 3 years are up on

112the screen on on slide 69, so you can see the uh fluctuations. Um From 23-24 to 24-25, there was a decrease. And then from 24-25 to 25-26, I believe there was a slight increase. So, it has uh fluctuated somewhat. Um and I thank you for that. Um A- As I look at the the other We talk about the service of these families that utilize IB and the youngsters that enjoy degrees of achievement and success from it. And we we tend to always look at it as as being, you know, RPS families, the RPS constituents. But I want to say this, uh I and I really do hope that the city is watching. Because these are not just RPS constituents. They're city of Richmond constituents. And the money that we are asking for is not to

113be wasted. I hope that the city understands that we do need the money. And I want them to give very strong consideration when this comes down the pike. And I'm hopeful that we will be able to re-admit this and re-return this to the budget. Because I do believe that >> 1 minute. despite the the low numbers that we are right now, you can see that the numbers have fluctuated. And we're not talking about a program that's been around forever. What are we talking about? Six? Seven years? What are we talking? How long's it been? 5 years. >> 5 years. So so 5 years and I I just really think it's just premature to just cut the program. Let's give it more time. And and let's see what those numbers do. Now, my final question would

114be how do we communicate to these families that we have the service available? How was this being done? Is it being done on par with the other services that Richmond Public Schools offers? I want to make sure I understand the question. Was it how are families uh being notified about options? How are they basically uh receiving the information? For uh what what >> What RVA and what RVA offers? Specific RVA. >> Oh. Understood. Uh they are uh part of our open enrollment process along with every other school. So, when families when the open enrollment season opens and families are able to uh learn about all of the schools and then make their selections, RVA is right there with all of our schools. Uh so, if you are interested in uh you know, going to a

115different elementary school and you're looking at a couple of brick-and-mortar options, you can also look at RVA. They're all there together. Mr. Jafari. Thank you. Ms. Rizzi. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have um more of a question that probably um deals with like child development. Um and I don't know Mr. Cameras if you can answer this or if a chief can, but you know, say a student comes in to and chooses RVA. >> One minute. Um is there evidence that social engagement is good for kids and staying there multiple years might not be the best thing for them? I'm just I'm curious about that. Mr. Cameras. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I don't want to represent um uh clear knowledge on that body of research. Um I would presume it is highly student-specific. Um uh

116in general, what we saw from the pandemic is that uh virtual learning in general leads to social isolation and academic decline. However, for some students, it has certain benefits. Um and I think we've heard that testimony from families, too. Mr. Hedgepath, Ms. Ricard, Ms. Holton. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um Superintendent, I wanted to follow up on Mr. Jafari's question about the data. Um what about the first 2 years of the virtual academy? Um, if it's been open for five and we only have data for three, is there do do we have access to those? I know it's maybe maybe not possible at the moment. I just wonder if it is if that's if we have information to share about that. Mr. Cameras. Thank you, Madam Chair. I don't have it at my fingertips, but we

117are going to try to get it for you. Ms. Recorvin and then Ms. Holton. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I had questions on just a different topic, if that's all right, um, concerning subs and the sub hours. And I know you had flagged that actually at our budget work session when I asked about the possibly unintended consequences. Um, real quick, um, just subs that come into the building, are they always held to a certain number of hours so that they don't get benefits? And then is it different for annual subs, are subs that are in the building permanently? How are those different? Are they both going to be held to 7 hours and therefore, um, benefits impacted? Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to ask Ms. Chain to come up and speak to

118that. Good evening. Our annual subs are offered benefits and that is not something that is changing. Um, but I guess the first question is subs that typically would just come in the building off and on, they never would have received benefits and they're typically held below full-time work or not? That I that I do not have. I need a to double check that, but I do know for our annual subs that is not impacting their ability to access the benefits that we offer. Ms. Holton? Ms. Tang, can you stay for a second? >> [laughter] >> Sorry. I I I I wasn't going to ask this, but in follow-up to Ms. Ricard's question, now you've got me I do see that one of the savings, one of the reductions, is a significant reduction by adjusting subcontracts

119from 8 hours to 7 hours. Is that impacting the benefits of our annual full-time subs? That is not. All right, ma'am. Of course. Uh So, I do want to join in thanking um the parents and teachers who have come to advocate tonight on all kinds of budget issues. One addition to the issues we've heard about tonight, we have heard in written comment about the reduction in subcontracts. I've heard tonight about the impact of the cuts to vision insurance and to the impacting the health insurance. And I just want to acknowledge that we're dealing with a situation where we don't have enough money to meet all of our needs, and that's a long-standing structural issue. While the state has increased its contributions to Richmond, it's not paying anywhere near the state share that it should be

120paying for all kinds of reasons. Um and it is my hope certainly over time that we can address that collectively, and I feel like we're making bit by bit with all of us going together and helping our state buddies understand that we're chipping away at it. I do think that the budget we're looking at today assumes very optimistic makes very opt- Am I done? Yes, ma'am. Oops. Thank you. Mr. Percival. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um certainly I I think like most of us here have been very touched by the stories from Richmond Virtual Academy parents, teachers tonight. What what I'm really hearing is is that the people in this room want RVA to be funded. And I agree with you. I would like RVA to be funded. The problem is is as Ms. Holton pointed

121out, the budget that we have been struggling with is already aspirational. We already have priorities on the list that we are likely not going to be able to meet. So, adding it back into the budget at at this point, um it it's difficult because I we have been fighting and I am happy to go downstairs and keep fighting, but to signal to you that by voting to increase the budget, that RVA will be funded, I think would be disingenuous on my part to vote that way. Um I I don't like that. I wish we had more in the budget. Um but the reality is what I did not see tonight come out, um I did not hear stories. There were teachers here, but I never heard teachers say, "I'd be willing to give up my

122raise for RVA to be funded." And I wouldn't expect them to, but that wasn't on the table. There are other priorities and I think we all appreciate those priorities. And Ms. Ricard pointed out, those are priorities that touch large classrooms and large bodies of students. And that's unfortunately, where we have to focus our attention when we have limited resources. I have time. She has 41 seconds. Okay. Uh so, that is that is just my position. It is not a hard heart. It is a reality. It is an unfortunate one. Um but I I just don't I I don't see that money. We've been at the General Assembly. We've been at the City Council >> every day advocating and we are still coming up short. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Ms. Rizzi. Okay, thank you,

123Madam Chair. Uh let me try to get this out quickly. Um you know, I am concerned that like students who spend multiple years in Richmond Virtual Academy, um you know, those who could be transitioned back into social environments don't really get the services they need. Maybe we could reimagine this thing somehow where like students who need it receive it. And then there's some kind of support maybe from a school psychologist to do I mean, I know it's a dream, but like to then like transition them and work with them so that they can return to social environments. Uh those that are able to. Um I don't know. I just think reimagining. Okay. Um Go ahead, Ms. Mr. Hedgepath, and then I'll share some thoughts. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I just wanted to uh say

124that I got some information from uh the RVA principal that the first year was 2,000 students. The second year was 750 students. And that there was a decrease in the budget, um, and that's what, uh, later led to, uh, the the the smaller uh, student body. So, that that's all I wanted to share. Mr. Kamras. I have great respect and admiration, um, uh, for everyone involved, but that is not a fully accurate representation of the data. Uh, in part because it is resting on, uh, Virtual Virginia enrollment, not necessarily RVA in-person or RVA RPS teacher, uh, education. So, um, by no means did, uh, were we staffed to educate 2,000 students during the first year of RVA. That is a misrepresentation. Mr. Hedgepeth. Thank you, uh, Superintendent, and maybe I should, uh, rephrase that, uh,

125that that initially when it was started, the Virtual Academy was a program and not a school of record. Um, and so, that may be also part of the difference, uh, but nonetheless, we had a we had a large number of students who were, uh, who were enrolled in Virtual, uh, at the time, and uh, now we see less, so. Mr. Kamras. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I do want to note again, uh, the first year was, uh, in the pandemic, when virtual numbers spiked all across the United States of America. To represent the decrease as a defunding by RPS is disingenuous and not accurate. And I do think it's important to correct the record. So, um, I'm going to continue that. I haven't shared my thoughts yet, so I was going to continue down that

126vein. Um there has been conversation around um perhaps how we could reimagine Virtual Academy There is some success particularly in upper levels, but also throughout from K through 12 and how we could uh better utilize the program um for things like um restorative justice along with the needs of um some of our most vulnerable children. So, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts about that in conjunction with um with what Ms. Rizzi shared. Have you all thought about that or what has there any consideration been given to that? Um I'm happy to continue to think about uh reimagining and such. Um Uh again, ultimately, I think this is a question of funding. And so, um if we are fortunate enough to receive additional funding, um that is perhaps not enough to restore the entirety

127of RVA. Perhaps there is a reimagining that we could revisit. Uh perhaps it is some version of the current iteration that serves the um neediest children uh in that environment. Of course, I'm more than open to that. Uh resources permitting, absolutely. Thank you. Um I want to shift gears for a second. There was a call out about um the cost of vision individually. Uh I know that you all did research on that. Did you ever provide what those numbers would have would be. How would that be impacting um the staff? Good evening, board members. Can you repeat the question for me? Yes. So, um right now health care and vision are um bundled. When it's separated, what will be the impact for associates to pay for vision? So, I don't have the numbers right now.

128I can grab those for you, but what we have done in separating vision out is we've created a multi-tier model that they can select from, which includes three different tiers of coverage with pricing in those three different tier groups. If you give me a few minutes, I can run to my computer and grab those and present them to you. Um we are where we are, um you know, simply because we have very hard decisions to make, and obviously we walked into the budget cycle understanding that. I would have to share that I agree with my colleague Mr. Hedgepeth as it relates, and as a matter of fact, it was one of the first things that I shared. Um you know, a requested and needs-based budget requires us to ask for what we need. And so,

129to anticipate a a shortfall, I think is understandable, and I think there's a level of transparency that's required that you have met the mark as an as an administration for. Um but simply not asking because we don't think we're going to get it, um, to me fall short in what we are elected to do. Um, and so I would be interested to hear the vision question and then I think we'll be prepared to vote. Thank you for giving me a moment. Of course. Thank you. Okay. So, there will be three tiers of coverage available for our associates. The high-level coverage, do you just want premiums or you want a description of the coverage? Yes. Both. >> Both. Okay. Thank you. No worries. So, the high-level >> [snorts] >> will include an exam co-pay of $15,

130which is the same as it exists today. It will include single vision zero co-pays all the way through da- down to lined bifocal, lined trifocal, and lenticular. It is basically the same coverage all the way down until we get to polycarbonate lenses, where there will be a $40 payment, standard progressives, where there will be a $65 payment, and premium progressives, which is tiered tier one, tier two, tier three, 85, 95, 110. And I'm happy to email you this document to all of you if you'd like, okay? Then it goes way deep into like plastic, tint, dyes, etc., etc. Um, so it's a lot of information. So, I'm just going to kind of jump down to the premiums. So, for this high-level is 100% coverage for elective contacts, um, 87 for out of network, and that

131will be for employee only per pay period, $20.29 for employee plus one, $41.25, for family, $65.99. When we go to the mid-level coverage plan, the copay remains the same. Exam copay at $15, materials copay $15. The exam is still covered at 100%. Then for single vision, bifocal, those four tiers that I gave you before, it goes from zero copay to $15 copay. And then for oversized lenses and what we talked about, there's there's no changes, zero copay, 100% coverage. The um copays for standard progressive, polycarbonate lenses, they all remain the same. And then when we go all the way down and we look at contact lenses, we now have 100% coverage up to $150, $15 off of anything over the allowance, $87 for out-of-network coverage. Those premiums are for employee only, $17.31, for employee plus

132one, $35.18, for family, $56.28. The final tier, which is considered the low tier, the exam copay goes up to $30, materials copay $30, exam still covered at 100%. The copay for single vision, line bifocal, line trifocal, lenticular now goes up to $30 for copay. The lens enhancements, all of those coverages remain the same, zero copay, 100% coverage. When we go down to contact lenses, it's 100% coverage up to $100 and 15% off anything over the allowance. Again, $87 for out of network coverage. Those premiums will be for employee only, $10.86. For employee plus one, $22.07. For family, 35 31. Thank you. And can this information be provided for full transparency to those that are going to be affected if we are to move forward with that? Absolutely. >> Thank you. Okay. And I will email

133this to you all. Thank you so Thank you so much. >> My pleasure. Um so in the spirit of reimagining, I would recommend that if we were to move forward with keeping the Richmond Virtual Academy, that we explore a very streamlined approach to um look into supporting our most vulnerable students. Um obviously, as it is, it is not sustainable for the amount of teachers that we have covering each classroom, well, virtual setting. Um it's just not sustainable. So, but I would be interested in hearing how we could streamline the approach um to to make sure that we are being uh most efficient with the funds that are being spent. And with that, Mr. Sure. Mr. Percival. Yes. Can I just ask a clarifying question before you vote? So, Mr. Kamras, did you did say the

134email that you sent with the number of 458 million? That includes an additional 3 million over and above your original statement this evening. That is correct. Mr. Record. I'm sorry. Ms. Richardson. Yes, ma'am. Was there a question asked if there's time for Mr. Percival. No. Mr. Ricard. Yes. Mr. Farooq. Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth. Yes. Mr. Rizzi. I want to make a quick statement. I support returning this to the budget, but I really would demand that the program be overhauled in a way that seeks to um support and transition children who are able to build confidence and social skills to return to their schools. This may not be the place for um students to stay indefinitely. Um and I want us to explore that. So, ultimately, yes. Ms. Holton. And I'm sorry. I just need to clarify.

135We're voting on Mr. Hedgepeth's motion to add Correct. money back to the budget for RVA. Yes. I vote no. Ms. Burke. Mr. Jafari. Yes. Ms. Fernandez. Yes. Motion passed. Thank you. Moving right along to board action items. Receive for action the Head Start update. Good evening, Madam Chair, Superintendent Kamras, members of the school board. Um tonight I have two uh updates that I want to highlight from the report. One, as shared, we have our um focus area one progress monitoring visit next week, the week of March 9th. This is part of the standard Thank you. This is part of the standard visit that's part of the year one and two our grants. So, the team is busy getting ready for that and we are excited to to host our facilitators next week. The other exciting

136news I have to share that is as of today, March 3rd, for our early Head Start seats, we are enrolled 56 out of 56 or 55 out of 56 students. So, 58 98.2% and for our Head Start students, we are enrolled for 630 out of 649. >> Sorry, could you repeat that, please? >> I will. For early Head Start, we are at 55 out of 56, which is 98.2% and for our Head Start seats, we are enrolled 630 out of 649, which is 97.1%. I am extremely grateful for the support of the team and the work that has gone into this. Obviously, it's a important that we continue to maintain um this uh enrollment, but the first step was getting there and so super excited to to share that news with you all this this

137evening. Mr. Farouk. Ms. Chang. How much of this success do you think is the our efforts to ensure that there's transportation provided to our not just our school sites, but our community partners or there other things that you think were really contributing to this? I I can't say um with that like I would say of course I would think that that transportation would enhance um and increase our uh numbers and it it it offers, you know, access and opportunity to families that weren't able to access it before and so um I think it certainly supports that. I think uh there's also just been more collaboration around how we're approaching um enrollment and and thinking uh differently about um placing kids and how we utilize the wait list and so um it's been a combination of

138things. Mr. Percival. I'll just add some color to uh what Ms. Chang said cuz I think she's demure. Um I there has been uh an incredible effort in the enrollment office. Uh I know because uh Madam Chair and I have been keeping our thumb on them constantly and uh I I don't like being that person, but um it has been amazing. Luke Stetter, I I don't think he's here, deserves a lot of credit for incredible amount of work that he's doing and his whole team. And uh Ms. Chang has really stepped up uh in in the efforts to get that. So, uh again, I think her answer was was great. Um it's hard to know at the family level if if transportation's made a big push there, but I can definitely say that enrollment and

139all the efforts around that is the the majority of the reason you're looking at those numbers. Madam Chair, I'd also like to add if I may. Um I do want to also thank um Consuelo Hawkins who is our uh enrollment associate on the Head Start team who's also been working um in collaboration with Luke and um has certainly been a huge part of of why we're seeing this success as well. Thank you, Mr. Hitchpath, Ms. Ricard. I was going to make a motion, Madam Chair, but I'll defer to Ms. Ricard before that. Ms. Ricard. Thank you. I was going to do the same, but just real quick, I want to say thank you. Um This is changing lives, getting our kids in these programs, and it's going to have an impact on RPS in the

140future as they enter kindergarten more ready and prepared. And um to you and the team, I know this has been a huge lift. Um but we are so grateful, and I know, like I said, lives are changed by this. I do want to Don't hold your thought. Ms. Rizzi. I'm a Head Start graduate. I just Oh, Ms. Halton. Go ahead. I I just wanted to chime in also with thanks, and also on top of this you you this um effort has been hard partly cuz it started late, frankly. Um but it is my understanding that you and Mr. Hostetter are already deep in the process of helping make sure enrollment for next year goes much more smoothly, much earlier on, and I hope and trust that it's not going to require such heavy um uh

141after-the-fact lifting, so to speak, because you all are doing the preparatory work and working with our community partners, Rev B5, the uh community providers, and others uh to get it right um from the get-go, and I thank you for that. Thank you. Um this has been a long time in the making, and this has certainly been in the spirit of collaboration uh from the administration, school board, and our policy council um members who I'm sure are watching this evening. This has been a huge team effort on all from all angles. Um I know it's not been easy. Um Ms. Chang specifically jumping in um and taking on another heavy task. Um and you do it with such grace, and so I mean the it speaks the numbers speak for themselves. This time last year we

142were not here, but we've had conversations, and we've been, you know, bouncing ideas off of one another, and you know, reimagining what Head Start could look like. And so I'm really thrilled um for all the efforts that again the administration um policy council um um Vice Chair Percival, myself and the rest of the board have done to make this what it is today. Um I don't know that we were behind. I just think we were had to re-evaluate um the structure and and implement some things and put them in place um for our now what we see as success. My question is around the budget. Um this time last year we were leaving money on the table. And so I just want to get a understanding of where we are. Are we utilizing the funds

143that are being provided um to us by the grant? Yes. So we are um have to like looked at our budget, seen our projections, and reflected on our surplus, and are currently um devising um a plan for the spend down of any surplus that might exist. Glad to hear that. Ms. Rizzi. Thank you, Madam Chair. I also um would like to shout out Dr. Wiggins who spent so much time and effort to save this. Um I mean she worked so incredibly hard and I worried about her at times because of how much she was putting into trying to save this for us and I want to shout her out. Thank you for calling that out. Yes, I have to echo what Ms. Rizzi has shared. Ms. Wiggins is invaluable and has done an amazing um

144job. She was literally the glue that kept everything together. And so we would certainly not be here without her. So, thank you for that reminder, Ms. Rizzi. Give you your flowers. All right, Mr. Hedgepeth. Let's go. Thank you, Madam Chair. What everybody just said, I echo. Um thank you, Ms. Chang and and all. Um Madam Chair, I move to approve the Head Start Program reports, minutes, and financial statements as presented by the administration. It's been moved by Mr. Hedgepeth and seconded by Ms. Jafari. Madam Clerk. >> Mr. Percival. Yes. Ms. Ricard. Yes. Mr. Farooq. Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth. Yes. Ms. Rizzi. Yes. Ms. Holton. Yes. Ms. Burke. Mr. Jafari. Yes. >> Ms. Fernandez. Yes. >> Motion passes. Thank you. Moving right along to 6.02, receive for approval multi-year school support plans. Ms. Ricard. Um thank you,

145Madam Chair. I move to approve the multi-year school support plans as presented. Second. It's been moved by Ms. Ricard and seconded by Mr. Hedgepeth. Madam Clerk. Mr. Percival. Yes. Ms. Ricard. Yes. Mr. Farooq. Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth. Yes. Ms. Rizzi. Yes. Ms. Holton. Yes. Ms. Burke. Mr. Jafari. Yes. Ms. Fernandez. Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Now, to 6.03, receive for action Richmond High School of the Arts update. Good evening, Mr. Orrell. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening, board members. I won't re-present this document that I shared with you yesterday, but I did want to alert you to two possible items for action for the board to consider. The first one is related to the question of the original plan for grass or the updated plan for turf. Um yesterday we talked about the injury risk, the

146costs, and I provided additional information about environmental and health impacts. And so the question for this group uh is if we choose if you all choose to take no action, we would continue forward with the grass approach. If you wanted instead to move forward with turf, then I have a proposed uh motion for consideration. Mr. Safari. And uh thank you. I appreciate the information that you got. And I would have looking at the whole process before the actual survey was done, and again, I don't know how it was done. The administration handled it, but I would have liked for the information about uh the health risk, pros, cons to have gone out upon the initiation of it. To do it after the fact uh kind of takes away from you. You've already got your data

147in. For me looking at the health risk down the road, I just think it's our responsibility to not just look at what looks good today, but to also take into consideration what the facts say about what the toxins are. And uh even in the information that you provided, I would like to also seen a non-governmental report. Both of those one is state, the other's National Institute of Health. Uh all that being said, you know, I have talked to my constituents. And it's not a personal matter for me. Like I said, I played on both of them. But I do want to see to the wishes of the parents and the youngsters who actually want it. So I would be a a yes vote to go with the artificial turf. If that be the will of

148the board, I'd defer to that. Thank you. If you want to make the motion and then we can open it up for debate. I believe there are other hands that are open. Are up raised. You want to wait? Do you want to make the motion? Ms. Rizzi. Did you have language that you >> Ms. Rizzi, yes. Oh, it's okay. Right in that bottom left corner. Right behind you. That's better. All right. Um I move that the board approve a change order to phase two of the RHSA construction project to include a new generation turf field. It's been moved by Ms. Rizzi, seconded by Mr. Jafari. I already know that Mr. Percival would like to share his thoughts. And then Mr. Farooq. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh I'm just going to point out that most of

149us have spoken at some point about how the board needs to spend more time talking about student outcomes. So you can imagine the nine of us need to talk more. Um I would say we also need to vote more based on student outcomes. Last year we removed $126,000 worth of books from libraries. This year we were contemplating removing summer school from the budget. Just a reminder, we're not talking about removing a football field. We're talking about adding turf to a perfectly good football field that has lights, that has a stadium, etc. Not all of our high schools have lights. Had to throw that in there. The question that we are not looking at a couple of questions we're not looking at. What we did not see in that health study is the safety of a

150turf field that is 15 to 20 years old. Because if we can't maintain our grass fields, we can't afford to maintain our turf fields, either. So, what does it look like when turf tears because we didn't replace it at the 10-year mark? It stretched to 15 or 20 years. And we have rips and tears and cuts and bald spots in the turf. The other question we're not really talking about is we're not talking about before we talk about whether or not we're going to fund a new turf field, we really ought to be talking about how we're going to fund the existing field at Huguenot because that's coming out of CIP and not construction. And so, what happens is when we vote for a higher ticket item, we are shifting the burden of the future

151into our CIP budget. And we don't have the money to cover that. Basically, we're buying this on credit. So, I am a no on this. I appreciate these charts, but to me, we could also put out a survey that says, "Would you like an Xbox instead of your Chromebook?" And get similar results. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Percival. Mr. Rizzi. Did someone else have their hand raised? Oh, oh, I'm sorry. It was Mr. Farooq. Apologies. First a question, Madam Chair, and then a comment. Mr. Harold, it assuming we vote for a turf, what does that do to the other priority items that have to be funded throughout the school system? Like, what what's the impact it would have? Sure. To Mr. Percival's point, the pool of money that this would be coming out

152of would be the construction, the roughly $200 that we receive every 5 years. And so, the less The more money we spend on the RHSA project, the less we have for future construction projects. Um and my last comment will just be that. I was originally planning to come here tonight and vote in favor of the turf, but literally today I got multiple emails from schools in my district about building issues, maintenance issues, needs for renovation, and it just makes acute Mr. Percival's point. I know that they're not all the same pot of money, but ultimately we really do have to be more careful about some of these things, and I genuinely from the bottom of my heart wish we could provide the students with the what they asked for. I don't know that we can.

153Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Rizzi. Madam Chair. Um Mr. Harold, do you know when we are due to get a new infusion of um building funds? I believe that would be 2029. And do we have enough money right now to build a school after R.H. King is built? We do not. >> We do not. [snorts] >> No. And so we could I mean essentially vote to put down this turf, and then once we get a new infusion, we'll have money to build more schools. Is that correct? Yes. Thank you, Ms. Holton. I won't repeat what I said last night at great length, but I will just say that I think that the liability risk risk of harm to students, differential risk of of the best evidence we have of turf versus what I think realistically

154we're going to have is not ideally maintained grass way that that's a that's that's a a hidden cost, that taking that into account and taking into account what the community wants uh uh and what I understand is more the norm in the industry, and that is a little up for for grabs, but that I am in support of turf and I and I am appreciative of Mr. Jafari helping raise the the toxins risk cuz I think that is a very real concern, but based on the evidence I've seen it I I I think the risk of injury, concussions, and lower extremity injuries to students outweighs it. I believe two things can be equally true. That we can honor the um request of our community um that have particularly uh Richmond High School of the Heart

155Arts has been systemically overlooked. And so I believe that this is a port this is an important statement to show that we are listening and we are not ignoring them. We're not. And so for that reason I I am in of support of the turf field. I will also call out the things that I shared yesterday and research about the type of injuries that can come with the turf field and so I think people should walk into it with their eyes wide open and understanding that. But two things can be equally true. Just as they deserve what has been requested of them, all of our fields deserve to be taken care of to ensure that there's no liabilities or injuries made simply because we don't have the ability to fix issues that are on our

156fields. And so I do want us to revisit that conversation because it should become a priority and I don't know how we do that. Um I know that we have constraints, but I do also believe that just like they deserve um what we're about to pass tonight, that all of our other kiddos deserve to be able to play on a field without concerns about not running in certain spots because there are massive holes in the grass. Mr. Hitchpath. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um I'll second what you just shared. The other thing that I I'd like to add is that I do wish that we were able to fully fund our grounds uh crew and recognizing that that they are at the very bare bones. Um and in a perfect world, I would vote for grass

157and uh you know, and have we would have the staff to be able to maintain that, but uh but unfortunately, that's that's just not going to be the case. We know that it won't be the case. Um and so uh to Ms. Rizzi's point that uh that you know, the the money is sitting there for us to use uh or for new construction. Uh the community wants and desires that. Uh they haven't overlooked. Um and so I'm in favor of of of turf. So, thank you for the presentation and the work that you've done on this. Mr. Percival. Uh just for a point of clarity, uh there is there has been in the past that City Council has approved construction money to move into CIP. So, to Mr. Brookes' point, when we don't have enough

158money for roofs, we don't have enough money for HVACs to fund our plan, if we really wanted to, we could ask for that 2 and 1/2 million dollars to be put into the CIP. These are the opportunity costs. I don't want to gloss over that. Thank you. Um with that said, I you know, as I was talk talking with you all here and I drive on the Powhatan Turnpike quite often to get where I need to go. I am excited to be able to see the lush green fields uh in a area that has um quite a lot of opportunities and I think it'll be a beacon of light for a lot of the um community that is right across the street at Bell Atlantic and in the surrounding areas and I'm pleased to be

159a part of this decision. Um but again, I do emphasize that we need to rethink how we are handling everything else. With that, Ms. Richardson, we're ready to vote. Mr. Percival. Uh no. Mr. Rickard. Yes. Mr. Farooq. No. Mr. Hedgepeth. Yes. Ms. Rizzi. Yes. Ms. Holton. Yes. Ms. Berg. Mr. Jafari. Yes. Ms. Fernandez. Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you. The second item for consideration was reviewed last month. As a very quick reminder, there was a there were a series of issues related to both the initial site plan and the initial start of the work as well as with our Thank you. Our engineers and contractors that led to a delay claim from our contracting firm. As a very quick reminder, our clearest two options are we can choose to settle this delay claim or

160we can choose not to and likely face what we anticipate would be a lawsuit where they would claim significantly more. If you all are interested in moving forward with settling the delay claim, I have a recommended motion on your slide. Mr. Hedgepeth. Madam Chair, I move that the board approve a change order in the amount of $270,000 to resolve the delay claim from S.P. Ballard. Second. It's been moved by Mr. Hedgepeth and seconded by Mr. Farooq. Before we vote, I would just like to publicly say that I think it's absolutely unacceptable for this type of oversight to have happened when we are struggling between keeping summer school open and eliminating positions. This $270,000 could have gone a long way. So, while I will be voting yes, I just want to ensure that we put measures

161in place that this never happens again. And I know this predates you, um but and I know that you share my same sentiments, but I did want to make sure that I share that publicly. Ms. Rizzi. Thank you. Um Yes. Yes. Yes. Um in Mr. Fox's defense, this looks like something that hadn't been anticipated and changed continuing. Is that true? So, as best as I can understand, it was a combination of an urgency around getting the project started and the timeline it takes to prepare the site fully while getting our architectural firm to put together a complete list of the status of the site while we were hurrying to try to prepare the site and a a miscommunication between those two things as we tried to accelerate the process. Okay. Thank you. All right. Ms.

162Richardson. Mr. Percival. Yes. Ms. Ricard. Yes. Mr. Farooq. Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth. Yes. Ms. Rizzi. Yes. Ms. Holton. Yes. Ms. Burke. Ms. Jafari. Yes. >> Ms. Fernandez. Yes. Motion passed. Thank you. We are at 6.04 receipt for action the personnel actions. Good evening again everyone. I am here to present the personnel actions. We are presenting 24 nominations of associates, 18 change of contracts for associates, 14 associate resignations, two associate retirements, one associate termination, and two associate deaths. Do we have a motion? I believe we have to do a motion. Madam Chair, I move that we accept the personnel actions as presented. Second. It's been moved by Mr. Percival and seconded by Ms. Ricard. Mr. Percival? Yes. Ms. Ricard? Yes. Mr. Farooq? Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth? Yes. Ms. Rizzi? Ms. Holton? Yes. Ms. Burke? Mr. Jafari? Yes. Ms.

163Fernandez? Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. And now for the consent agenda. Do we have a motion? Madam Chair, I move that we accept the approve the consent agenda. Second. Sorry guys. Right at a Anyway, I'm sorry. Uh it's been moved by Mr. Percival and seconded by Mr. Hedgepeth. Madam Clerk? Mr. Percival? Yes. Ms. Ricard? Yes. Mr. Farooq? Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth? Yes. Ms. Ms. Yes. Ms. Holton? Yes. Ms. Burke? Mr. Jafari? Yes. Ms. Fernandez? Yes. Motion passes. Thank you. And now for um new business, we are at 9:10. If there's nothing pressing, I request that you email your items unless there's something that you'd like to openly share this evening. Wonderful. Who has closed? Madam Chair, I move to convene into closed session to consult with legal counsel regarding claims and issues related to civil laws

164Excuse me, civil rights laws as authorized by Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711 A8. Second. It's been moved by Mr. Jafari and seconded by Mr. Hedgepeth. Madam Clerk? >> Mr. Percival? Yes. Mr. Carr? Yes. Mr. Farooq? Yes. Mr. Hedgepeth? Yes. Ms. Rizzi? Ms. Holton? Yes. Ms. Burke? Mr. Jafari? Yes. Ms. Fernandez? Yes. Motion passes. We are now in closed.