Here’s a back to school note from Kim Bridges the Richmond City School Board Rep for the Near West End:

Bridges for Schools
Back-to-school update
 
Dear 1st District school community members, supporters, and other interested bystanders,
 
I’m taking the rainy day to catch up on school board activities like this one and getting the tremendous piles of paper from 21 months of work into some sort of workable filing system.  Hope your Saturday’s a little more exciting.
 
Speaking of exciting, the first week of school was certainly that.  After dropping off my two middle schoolers at Hill (I can’t believe I have 2 middle schoolers now) I attended the “Boo Hoo” breakfast for new parents at Munford.  What a great turnout and the perfect way to demonstrate a welcoming environment.  (Note to MMPTA leaders:  as I was walking back to my car, I overheard a grandmother and mother saying, “What a fun school!” I’d consider that undeniable confirmation of success.)
 
At Hill, the welcome began last week with the ice cream social for new students.  In its 3rd year, this one had the biggest turnout ever.  Rave reviews there as well as the kids had to complete a clue hunt to find key areas in the building before diving into sprinkles galore and the craziest sundae combinations you can imagine.  Aside from the positive reviews from both of the students at my house, the community feel at Hill is palatable at daily dismissal, where you see lots of parents eager to ask “how was your day?”  and more walkers and bikers than ever (and energetic little skateboarders!  Where do they keep their boards during class Mr. Kight?)
 
I stopped by Community right before school began to welcome teachers back and greet the new principal.  This wasn’t my first interaction with Dr. Beatty, though.  Minutes after he got the job, he was asking me about getting parents and the community together.  Then he met with some parents and me on his day off.  His enthusiasm for this program is contagious, and with a 100% college admission rate (and, for this Wahoo, a very notable 1 out of every 6 seniors attending UVa) he’s got a tremendous foundation to build upon.
 
The new principal at TJ also dove right in to community outreach when she attended the Sauer’s Garden Civic Association picnic in the middle of the summer.  That neighborhood is where TJ is housed, and they have seen how easy it is for some students who take GRTC to school to decide to wander the area rather than going through the school doors.  When I saw Ms. Roan this week, she told me excitedly that she’s now got a full-time community resource officer in place to help those wondering children find their way.  I was so pleased that she didn’t just listen to the neighbors, she acted upon their comments. 
 
As for me, summer with the school board seemed just as busy as a school year.  I’ve been working on improving our enrollment procedures, revising our Student Code of Conduct with a more positive and user-friendly format (notice any difference elementary parents?), helping with the Superintendent Search, working with the new Superintendent to identify areas for improvement, leading our vastly improved audit oversight duties, finalizing the new procurement procedures as we revamp that entire department, determining the best use of closed school buildings, working to get enhanced custodial services, trying (but not succeeding yet)  to get the summer school requirement changed for really advanced 6th/7th math students…that’s all that’s at the top of my head.  Let me know if you want a full list and I’ll head down to my (hopefully) organized filing system to compile it.
 
These are not the sexy issues that get media attention, and maybe I’m too immersed in them to not have an unbiased opinion, but I do see them as critical building blocks for a good school system. 
 
This week, the charter school issue dominated our other actions.  I have not had much inquiry on this issue from the 1st District, but I do feel that I should give you a quick view since it is a high-profile item.  I voted to approve the charter school in May, and I voted to approve the contract we had negotiated on Tuesday.  We had a contract that had been developed through negotiations with both partners.  The board had 3 months to provide input on the contract and we had ample opportunity to review the end product for as long as we liked.  Two of us–Betsy Carr and me–took advantage of the offer and went in advance of the meeting to look it over.  I read it thoroughly and thought it was workable and reflective of both parties’ interests.  PHI had already signed it so I was ready to let them roll. 
 
Three board members have been very consistent in their opposition to this charter, and I respect their views because I believe that their votes represent the prevailing sentiment of their districts.  So, four of us who had supported the charter were ready to move forward, but the fifth previous “yes” was not.  Based on numerous public statements he has made, I realize that this on/off-again charter drama has little if anything to do with the length or depth or breadth of the contract.  Indeed, contracts for charters vary just as much as the 4,000 charter schools across the nation do.
 
Charter schools remain hot-button items and their novelty in Virginia makes it a challenge to get one started.  It’s an imperfect process (which I’ll be working to improve at both the school board and General Assembly level this year) that must address many concerns in order to be successful.    We have to do what will work in Richmond, Virginia if it’s going to succeed.  Ask Mr. Muzik, Mr. Kight, Dr. Beatty or Ms. Roan about what they must do every day/week/month and year in order to educate every child–it’s challenging work.
 
My goals remain the same as they have been throughout this process:  to increase community involvement and innovation to educate the city’s children in the best way possible.  The Patrick Henry supporters have indicated that a charter school is the best way to do that in their community, so I have supported them in their endeavor.  They have expressed their desire to educate every child too, regardless of ability or background, so they seem well-aware of both the obligations and the latitude they’ll have to do that as a charter school.  If we share the same goals–and I believe that most of us do–we should be able to come together to make that involvement and innovation happen.
 
Next up, a quick list of back-to-school dates.  In the mean time, please share your thoughts, questions, and comments with me at my school e-mail address.  We’ve also improved our Freedom of Information process, so all school board communications now go through kbridges@richmond.k12.va.us for easier public access.  (I’m sure future generations will want a record of the profound insights I share with you, right? :)
 
Kim Bridges
1st District School Board representative