We are concerned neighbors, students, teachers, and faculty of George Wythe High School who believe the School Board should act to use City of Richmond resources to build a new HS by 2024.

We ask that the School Board add the City's compromise proposal to their agenda on 6/7 and ask that all members vote in favor of the compromise plan otherwise GWHS won't be rebuilt until 2027 at the soonest. Our students deserve better!

Five members of the school board, including the 5th District School Board member who represents George Wythe High school, have voted to take school construction out of the hands of the city.

They say they want "schools to build schools." But the truth is, our School Board has their hands full, already trying to serve their core function of educating our children. They don't have the staff, expertise, or infrastructure to manage construction projects and attempting to build that up will significantly delay the construction of a new GWHS and cost taxpayers millions more $$.

In an attempt to respond to the School Board's concerns, though, the city offered a compromise that would allow the construction of GWHS to begin immediately, while also significantly increase the School Board's oversight of construction by:

• Placing a 3rd Party Auditor that would allow for more direct involvement from RPS than in the past.  
• Include a robust community engagement plan for multiple opportunities for input from the School Board, RPS students, faculty, and staff.
• Ensure that RPS students directly benefit from jobs created by the construction.
• Place all of the financial and accounting burden on the City, so that RPS does not have to take on additional functions it currently does not have the capacity or resources to do.

The city's letter to the School Board is in full below.

The following school board members voted against even allowing for a discussion of this (or any other) compromise. Please ask them to put it on their agenda for the 6/7 meeting and encourage your board member to vote for the compromise. #WytheCantWait

To read more about our effort, please read this op-ed in Style Weekly.

Board Members who voted to delay construction of George Wythe and to spend millions more to stand-up construction capacity within RPS:

• Mariah White (2nd District)
• Kenya Gibson (3rd District)
• Jonathan Young (Vice Chair, 4th District)
• Stephanie Rizzi (5th District, Represents GWHS and surrounding area)
• Shonda Harris-Muhammed (6th District)