Virginia Randolph slated for $50-million upgrade using federal relief funds

The campus of Virginia Randolph, which serves students for whom traditional school settings were not effective or possible, should soon receive a $50-million upgrade.

Henrico County Public Schools received $78.3 million in its third round of federal relief funds to spend on COVID recovery efforts, and officials intend to spend the majority of it upgrading the school.

The money came from the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (or ESSER) grant as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, which was signed into law in March.

The funding allocation will allow the school division to add a middle school program and add more seats at the secondary level and for special education students, according to Superintendent Amy Cashwell.

“We know what a great job they do providing those (supports) but right now they can only take a limited number of students,” Cashwell said during an Aug. 26 Henrico School Board meeting. “Sometimes these are our youngest students who may have the most significant need and (have) not been in classrooms for 18 months while gaps are forming.”

HCPS posted a draft plan for the ESSER III funds on July 30, and held a public hearing on Aug. 12 for community members to provide input on the plan.

Several community members who spoke at the public hearing called for funds to be spent on implementing recommendations from a 2018 report that details the racial disparity in discipline in Henrico Schools’ special education programs. The report found that Henrico schools discipline students with disabilities, particularly Black students, at higher rates than their peers. The review was led by former Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton, and often is referred to as the “Holton report.”

One recommendation in the report calls for a significant revamp or closure of the Virginia Randolph Education Center program.

“HCPS may want to consider: moving the program to a comprehensive school where more supports are available, undertaking major building renovations and program improvements on site, exploring options for a regional program, or developing a new alternative program for students with significant disabilities and behavior issues,” the recommendation reads in part.

Virginia Randolph students experience smaller class sizes, a social-emotional support team, an individualized plan towards graduation, 12 trade programs, credit recovery opportunities, and mentoring.

“I'm delighted that we are going to adhere to some of the recommendations in the Holton report, particularly around Virginia Randolph,” said school board member Alicia Atkins at Thursday’s meeting. “It's important, and we have an opportunity to do some amazing things in this space.”

One mother who spoke at the Aug. 12 public hearing in support of funding for Virginia Randolph told board members that her son who attended Virginia Randolph once had an episode at school in which he ran off, scaled the fence and was steps away from running onto Mountain Road.

“This population at Virginia Randolph is one of the most — if not the most — marginalized populations in the district,” the parent, Fiona Bushnell, said. “And make no mistake that children realize this when they first set foot on campus, due to a variety of dilapidated and outdated conditions.”

In addition to facility repairs, the funds also will be used to increase community-based wraparound support services through a new community hub, which would also be available for all students in the Fairfield and Brookland districts.

Although Vice Chair Marcie Shea questioned how the Virginia Randolph project was a response to COVID, which is what ESSER funds are intended for, Cashwell said that the pandemic has “absolutely” affected the number of students who need the additional supports that Virginia Randolph provides.

Board Chair Roscoe Cooper, III, who has long been an advocate for Virginia Randolph, commended the school division’s “judicious desire” to address recommendations from the Holton report.

Additional funds earmarked for tutoring remediation, 3 new positions

Before the public hearing on Aug. 12, the draft spending plan had slated $60.5 million for replacement of facilities at Virginia Randolph. The revised plan now earmarks $49.9 million for it instead. At Thursday's Henrico School Board meeting, Cashwell said that adjustments in the funding don’t reflect priority, but rather reflect newer cost estimates.

Speakers at the public hearing also called for an increase in funding to HCPS’s office of equity, diversity and opportunity, which now has one full-time staffer under its chief officer, Monica Manns. The department once had five staffers before they were reassigned. Speakers also suggested efforts to hire a diverse workforce that mirrors the demographics of students.

The revised spending plan presented at Thursday’s included a $1 million adjustment that will fund for three years a talent acquisition ambassador in the human resources department, who will assist the division in efforts to recruit and retain a diverse workforce; and two social worker positions.

The $1 million that funds these three positions was accounted for by a $1 million decrease in PreK-12 literacy program materials and other intervention and instructional resources. That category will now receive $5.42 million.

In replacement of the approximately $10.6 million that was reduced from Virginia Randolph funding, an additional $10.6 million is slated for tutoring remediation. The finalized plan now dedicates $14.6 million in instructional resources to cover three years of tutoring remediation services.

Other funding categories in the final funding plan remain the same as the original draft.

A sum of $4.5 million is dedicated to three years of funding for 30 school counselors, 15 reading specialists and 13 library assistants. Another $3.2 million is slated to extend the expanded Summer Academy offerings for summer 2022 and 2023.

The remaining $10.1 million is budgeted for renewing of instructional resources, expanding remediation programming, providing electronic devices to all students, capital improvements to part of the former Highland Springs High School building, adding three vans to replace the community engagement bus, and expanding Henrico Virtual Academy.

The Henrico School Board voted unanimously Thursday to approve the final plan, which is due to the Virginia Department of Education on Sept. 1.

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Anna Bryson is the Henrico Citizen’s education reporter and a Report for America corps member. Make a tax-deductible donation to support her work, and RFA will match it dollar for dollar.