Mayor Levar M.
Stoney is pleased to announce the unanimous passage of resolutions by both the
Richmond Public School Board and City Council establishing the RVA Education
Compact.
Passage of the
Compact marks the first time the RPS Board, City Council and administration
have entered into a formal agreement to work together to develop collaborative
solutions addressing the needs of our school children both inside and outside
of the classroom.
“We took a
significant step today toward improving public education in the City of
Richmond,” said Mayor Stoney.
“I’d like to
thank all the members of City Council and School Board for their commitment to
this collaborative process, as well as the public who participated and offered
their feedback and comment on previous drafts over the last several
months.
“I look forward
to working with the council and board on shared strategies to drive down child
poverty while lifting up academic performance in our schools.”
Mayor Stoney
has directed his senior policy advisor for opportunity, Dr. Thad Williamson, to
work with Interim Superintendent Thomas Kranz to develop and finalize an
operating plan for the Compact, including a detailed schedule of meeting dates
and timeline for action. That plan will be made available to the City Council
and School Board at each body’s next schedule meetings.
It is
anticipated the first joint quarterly meeting between the mayor, council and
board will take place in September, with the first formal meeting of the
Richmond Children’s Cabinet also taking place then.
The Education
Compact stakeholder team is expected to be finalized by the end of September as
well, with its first meeting due to take place in October.
The mayor’s
office will continue working over the next month to establish a dedicated
website for the Compact to host all documents, data and relevant information.
