The Richmond School Board will allow the new charter school, Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, to open in August. However, until the 90-year-old Patrick Henry School building at 3411 Semmes Ave. has been made compliant with federal regulations, classrooms at Woodland Heights Baptist Church at 611 W. 31st St. will serve as the temporary home for the school.
PHSSA will be Richmond’s first charter school. It has been granted some measure of autonomy to design its own curriculum, but it must still adhere to certain standards of academic achievement set by the school board. Charter schools operate as public schools and should not be confused with private schools.
"The school board voted [Monday] night to allow the temporary location change and much of our meeting with PHSSA was devoted to the charter school's proposed budget and fiscal sustainability," said Kimberly Bridges, who chairs the Richmond School Board.
The vote was a 5-4 split: Bridges voted for PHSSA, along with Kimberly Gray, Norma Murdoch-Kitt, Adria Graham Scott and Donald Coleman. Voting against PHSSA were Dawn Page, Maurice Henderson, Chandra Smith and Evette Wilson.
Regarding Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, Bridges explained that PHSSA officials indicated at the meeting on Monday that they expect to be in the temporary location only until November or December, when phase one of the necessary renovations will be completed on the Patrick Henry building’s first floor.
Kristen Larson, Director of Public Relations with PHSSA, said, "In regards to the facility, WHBC is the polling station; therefore, it is an ADA-compliant facility. The school entrance will be separate from the congregation entrance and will have its own signage, indicating that it is PHSSA."
The PHSSA school grounds are a 10-minute walk from the church. How will the church’s classrooms be modified to serve as a public school for a few months?
"Any signs referring to the church at the entrance to the leased space and any religious symbols in the leased space will be removed or covered during the school week," said Larson. "WHBC will act as a landlord but will have no involvement in school activities. Rent will be paid on a monthly basis."
"As far as what remains up in the air," said Bridges, "the various services that [Richmond Public Schools] can provide to the school haven't been worked out since RPS administration presented them to PHSSA and the school board on March 29, so there's a lot of work to be done to nail down the many operational details."
Larson acknowledged that PHSSA has received a $200,000 loan from the Center for Community Self-Help, a 30-year-old nonprofit organization, to help with renovation expenses. The nonprofit is based in North Carolina. Should PHSSA not be able to pay off the loan, which was made without collateral, the city of Richmond cannot be made to pay it off.
"We've been working with Self-Help since late last year and hoping something would come through and it did," said Larson.
PHSSA has hired Pamela Boyd as its principal and it has interviewed 22 candidates for nine teaching positions. And, PHSSA has proposed a dress code for its students, kindergarten through fifth grade. Boyd is asking parents of the children who were chosen by lottery to attend PHSSA for feedback.
At its website, PHSSA’s proposed dress code includes the following information:
- Bottoms: Tan/khaki or navy long pants, short pants, skirts, skorts or jumpers
- Tops: White long-sleeved or short-sleeved; all shirts must have a collar; shirts may be knit polo, oxford, woven dress shirts or blouses; logo allowed, but no larger than 2 inches; all shirts with tails must be tucked in
- Socks: White, black or navy socks. White, black or navy tights allowed when girls are wearing skirts, skorts or jumpers.
- Shoes: A pair of black or brown closed toe, rubber-soled shoes with backs or a pair of white or black sneakers; the platforms or heels of the shoe cannot exceed 1½ inches in height; no high heels allowed; on days when the student has physical education class, the student must wear sneakers
- Sweaters: Navy blue sweaters; sweaters may be worn during cold weather; sweaters may be made of cotton, wool or knit material; a white shirt or blouse must be worn underneath sweaters
- Students may not wear sweatshirts or "hoodies" at any time, other than ones with school logos as approved by school administrators
"Since the [church] has no formal playground, students will use the PHSSA playground," said Larson. "The students will access the PHSSA school grounds and playground no less than three times per week, weather permitting.
Meanwhile, since charter schools remain a hot political topic, with determined advocates and an equally determined opposition; don’t be surprised if there are further attempts to delay the opening of PHSSA. The activists and politicians squarely against having charter schools in Richmond are not likely to give up, just because of a 5-4 vote.
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