Radford University leaders and New River Valley superintendents presented a proposal for a New River Valley Governor School for the Arts and Humanities to be hosted on the Radford campus.

President Brett Danovich of Radford University introduced the planning committee and described a model in which participating high school students would take a track in arts or humanities and could earn up to 30 college credit hours by graduation. The model includes a contained sophomore year experience on campus (classroom instruction and tutoring in a university business building), followed by junior and senior year enrollment in university courses. Radford and planning partners said sophomore coursework would be taught by high‑school teachers with an accelerated curriculum, while junior and senior coursework would be taught by university faculty; professional learning for university faculty to teach high‑school students was proposed.

Superintendent Rob Graham and parent representative Roxanne Suma stressed regional access and equity. Graham described the school as a half‑day model (students remain enrolled in home schools while receiving specialized instruction on Radford’s campus) and emphasized partnerships for transportation, dual‑enrollment credit, and grant‑seeking. Roxanne Suma said the program would provide up to 30 tuition‑free college credits for students in the region and cited community arts partnerships to provide real‑world experience. Presenters said the candidate divisions under discussion were those within roughly an hour's commute of Radford; planners said transportation routes and pooled logistics would be developed with participating divisions.

Radford outlined an initial financial model estimating start‑up losses in the first two years, break‑even around year three to four as enrollment grows to the planning target (an early projection showed roughly 100–110 students in steady state), and a per‑student participation charge similar to other governor schools (the presenters cited a current benchmark of roughly $3,850 charged to divisions, with an estimated state contribution figure discussed but not finalized). Presenters said there would be no tuition or fees to families and that supplies and books would be covered by the institution.

Board members asked about capacity, transportation, instructor preparation, and potential direct‑admission or transfer arrangements; presenters said discussions about direct admission and articulation with Radford and other institutions are ongoing. Amanda Navetrell and department staff said the proposal will be presented for first review on the board agenda the following day and could be considered for first and final review if board members choose. No vote was taken at the meeting; presenters requested board approval to move to formal review and potential authorization steps.