A Message from the Mayor
Dear City Resident,
Since before taking office, education has been and still is a priority for me. I’ve worked tirelessly to make strides for the children of our City, and now that we are moving forward with the construction of new schools, I want to thank you for your involvement and your input that has helped us reach this stage. This newsletter is one tool that we will use to share information and to keep you informed. It is also important to me to continue to receive your input as we work to Build a Better Richmond. We have an obligation to ensure that our schools provide children with world class skills and knowledge. I’m looking forward to our schools being models of innovation and creativity in urban education and I look forward to our continued work together towards that end.
Thank you.
Dwight C. Jones
Mayor, City of Richmond
A Message from the School Superintendent
Dear Parent, Partner and Stakeholder:
A new era has begun in Richmond– a time of cooperation, compromise and concern for doing what is best for Richmond City residents. Mayor Dwight C. Jones, along with members of the Richmond City Council and School Board, is leading our city’s renaissance with his bold, visionary and ambitious Building a Better Richmond program.
As Superintendent of Richmond Public Schools, I am particularly excited and pleased with the Mayor’s commitment to include capital improvement and school construction projects as an integral part of his vision. In fact, the first phase of Building a Better Richmond includes the construction of new Huguenot High, Broad Rock Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary and Martin Luther King Jr. Middle schools.
In recent years, our school division has made remarkable progress. More than 90 percent of schools are fully accredited, including every Richmond City high school. Two schools, Richmond Community and Open High, have been ranked among America’s best by U.S. News and World Report for three straight years. The number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes has increased, and we have launched the Governor’s Academy for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at the Richmond Technical Center.
What we have not done is build a new school in over 14 years, and, more specifically, a new high school in over 40 years. The Building a Better Richmond schools program represents a unique opportunity for the district to continue its trajectory of success by ensuring our students attend technologically-advanced facilities that offer a 21st century learning environment so they may compete globally and then excel at 21st-century careers. Moreover, it represents enhanced neighborhood revitalization by providing new, state-of-the-art facilities that will serve as both model community centers and model centers of academic achievement, where learning extends beyond the school day.
Indeed, we are witnessing the dawn of a new era in Richmond, as together, we build a better city through bricks and mortar, through a shared sense of community spirit and pride, and through an unyielding desire and unbreakable determination to provide this city’s young people with world-class educational facilities. I hope you remain as excited as I, and continue to provide valuable input not only on how these new facilities can further student achievement, but on how they can contribute to creating better neighborhoods and more livable communities.
Dr. Yvonne Brandon
Superintendent, Richmond Public Schools
Broad Rock and Oak Grove Groundbreaking
Download The Building A Better Richmond Newsletter (Fall, 2011)
