School board rejects MOU transferring Pocahontas Landmark Center; public urges preservation

Powhatan County School board members voted 3–2 not to accept Resolution R2025-49 and the accompanying memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would have transferred the Pocahontas Landmark Center from the school division to Powhatan County.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment from alumni, descendants of Pocahontas High School, local historians and representatives of the Powhatan African American Cultural Arts Museum and the Powhatan NAACP. Speakers urged the board to delay demolition plans, preserve original school buildings and explicitly protect the museum's space in the facility.

Why it matters: The Pocahontas Landmark Center includes structures tied to segregated schooling and subsequent county-wide education history. Community members said the site has historical, cultural and educational importance and asked the board and county to explore reuse and preservation instead of partial demolition.

Board action and immediate effect

At the meeting the board considered a formal resolution (R2025-49) and an MOU proposed by the Board of Supervisors that would transfer title of the entire PLC to the county. The board voted to reject the resolution and accompanying MOUs, 3 in favor of rejection and 2 opposed. The vote leaves the school board as the titleholder and ends consideration of the proposed MOU in its presented form. The record shows the motion to not accept the resolution carried with roll-call voting by district.

Public comments and community requests

Speakers appealed to the board on three related points: preserve buildings with historic connection to the county's African American schools, explicitly protect the Powhatan African American Cultural Arts Museum in any agreement, and allow additional time for the county to study alternatives and cost estimates.

- Gail Hairston, identified as president of the Powhatan branch NAACP, said the draft MOU lacked language naming the museum and asked the board to amend the agreement to guarantee continued museum use. - Leslie Baskin, secretary of the Powhatan African American Cultural Arts Museum, asked the board to continue the 2019 memorandum that designated the foyer at the gymnasium as museum space and to add specific museum language to any future MOU. - Benito Mayo, who identified himself as a 1984 Powhatan High School graduate and descendant of Pocahontas teachers, described family ties to the school and urged preservation. - Other speakers, including alumni and former students, said more than 700 people had signed a petition to save and repurpose parts of the complex.

Board members’ positions

Board members who opposed the MOU raised concerns about safety, ongoing maintenance needs and the practicality of holding surplus facilities that the division did not plan to use. Members who favored delaying or amending the transfer argued the county should be given time (requests ranged from 45 to 60 days in discussion) to produce cost estimates and reuse plans and that more public engagement and a cost-benefit analysis were warranted.

Background and next steps

The school division reported that portions of the PLC have deferred maintenance and that the county’s capital improvement plan (CIP) has plans for a new community center in coming years. The Board of Supervisors had proposed the transfer so the county could assume control and fund potential reuse or demolition. With the school board vote rejecting the presented resolution and MOU, the county and school division may reopen negotiations, or the county could submit a revised proposal. Several board members and community speakers asked that any future agreement explicitly preserve the African American museum space and include clear timelines and cost estimates.

Clarifying details

- Petition count: petition organizers described more than 700 signatures as of the meeting (noted by commenters; the board did not independently verify). Source: multiple public speakers. - Museum status: the Powhatan African American Cultural Arts Museum currently occupies the foyer near the PLC gymnasium; speakers said a 2019 MOU recognized that use. - CIP note: the Board of Supervisors has listed a community center project in its CIP planning (board discussion). The school board does not control county CIP timing.

Ending

After extended public testimony, the school board rejected the proposed resolution and MOU as presented. Community members and some board members signaled they want an alternative approach — either a revised MOU that explicitly protects the museum and outlines reuse plans, or time for the county to produce a viability analysis. The board did not adopt a replacement plan at the meeting.