All results / Stories / Ronald E. Carrington

School Board approves plan for $54M in COVID-19 relief
The Richmond School Board voted 8-1 Monday night to approve a plan for $54 million in federal money to handle a variety of costs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

School Board swears in new members, selects new leaders
The East End gained another leadership post with Cheryl L. Burke’s election as the new Richmond School Board chair.

Richmond School Board approves grading policy during shutdown
The Richmond School Board approved a plan Monday night to calculate students’ final grades that will hold students harmless during the coronavirus shutdown.

Teacher raises, central office cuts are key to Kamras’ proposed 2022-23 RPS budget
Richmond teachers would get a 5 percent raise, the largest in years, while 33 new people would be added to the Richmond Public Schools payroll.

Advocates seek to save programs on Richmond schools budget chopping block
Fully fund computer-based learning. And maintain the current cadre of 21 family and community engagement ambassadors who are critical to keeping Spanish-speaking students engaged with Richmond Public Schools. That was the gist of the message that parents, teachers and other speakers passionately expressed to the Richmond School Board Monday night during a public hearing on the proposed budget that board members are now working to finalize.

School Board continues to wrestle with reopening plans, issues
As the Richmond School Board works to come up with a plan for reopening city schools in the fall, one of the big concerns is educational equity and what that means for a school system where nearly 20 percent of the 24,000 students have special or high needs.

RPS launches program to help dropouts get diploma or GED
Battling one of the highest dropout rates in Virginia, Richmond Public Schools is launching a Secondary Success Center to help students who have dropped out return to earn their high school diploma or a GED.

School reopening a push-pull for some parents and educators
After a year of virtual learning because of the coronavirus and new concerns about the highly contagious delta variant, Richmond Public Schools students, teachers, staff and contractors must mask up as schools open next Wednesday, Sept. 8.

Richmond siblings’ film, ‘Slave Cry,’ to be shown at the Pan African Film & Arts Festival
“Slave Cry,” a film by Richmond filmmaker Jai Jamison that stars his sister, Courtney Jamison, will be screened at the 29th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival that runs Feb. 28 through March 14.

4 city schools to get new names
The Richmond School Board has embraced renaming four city schools and approved, on an 8-1 vote Monday night, a process to make it happen.

Unbridled joy
RPS’ first full graduation since COVID-19 brings smiles, cheers and joy at The Diamond
Huguenot High School’s graduation Monday was a day to remember — the first Richmond Public Schools gradu- ates to walk across a stage and receive their diplomas in a traditional, big group ceremony since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

Incumbent Sheriff Antionette V. Irving beats back primary challenge
Richmond Sheriff Antionette V. Irving won a close primary race Tuesday, defeating challenger William J. Burnett in his attempt to take over the job of managing the city jail and supervising hundreds of deputies and staff who work in the jail, provide security in city courts, serve subpoenas and other documents and handle evictions.

NextUp RVA promotes positive youth development
Recent graduates excited about their future
Shiya Brown was a Richmond Public Schools student at Lucille Brown Middle School in 2015. When she became part of NextUp RVA’s second cohort, she explored several after-school programs that helped her grow academically and creatively.

Jordan Pendleton, 10, roars to lead role as young Simba in national tour of ‘The Lion King’
Richmond’s Jordan Pendleton has been selected to play young Simba in a national touring troupe of Disney’s “The Lion King.”

New George Wythe may not happen until 2027, Kamras says
The Richmond School Board voted to establish a community advisory board for the construction of a new George Wythe High School in South Side.

RPS needs $150M more to fund strategic plan
Richmond Public Schools will need to beef up its budget with an added $150 million over five years to help implement its strategic plan to bolster city schools. Superintendent Jason Kamras presented the Richmond School Board with the cost estimate for the first time during its meeting Monday night.

School Board member Jonathan Young springs open enrollment attendance plan on colleagues
Richmond School Board members were blindsided Monday night when board member Jonathan Young, who represents the 4th District, proposed that Richmond Public Schools allow students to choose which school they want to attend, with a lottery ultimately deciding where students would enroll.

Keeping Kamras
Richmond School Board votes 6-3 to extend Superintendent Jason Kamras’ contract for another 4 years
It’s official: Richmond Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras will stay on for another four years.

Daphne Maxwell Reid rejoins cast for ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reunion
Actress Daphne Maxwell Reid recently joined the cast of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” for a reunion show airing this week, 30 years after the popular TV sitcom premiered in 1990.

RPS in fix-it mode on ‘so many issues’
Hurricane Florence is not the only storm Richmond Public Schools has to weather. Since Superintendent Jason Kamras arrived in February, his administration has been dealing with the heated and windy uproars over problems and issues that were buried or ignored by previous administrations and School Boards but have been uncovered in recent months.