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RVA staff and parents urge Richmond council to fully fund RPS and preserve virtual academy
Summary
Multiple Richmond Virtual Academy principals, staff and parents urged the Education & Human Services committee to close a $3.8 million gap and fully fund Richmond Public Schools, arguing RVA is a cost-efficient, accredited K–12 option that serves vulnerable students and warrants protection and audit oversight.
Multiple speakers during the Education & Human Services public-comment period urged the committee to fully fund Richmond Public Schools (RPS) and to preserve the Richmond Virtual Academy (RVA).
Dr. Cindy Robinson, principal of Richmond Virtual Academy, told the committee that “a city's budget is a statement of its values” and said the proposed local allocation of $257,000,000 is a major investment that must ensure “strategic excellence” and keep effective educators in the city. Robinson said failing to close a $3.8 million gap would undermine the district’s goals and described RVA as a revenue-positive asset that operates with roughly half the per‑pupil facility cost of brick‑and‑mortar schools.
Jacqueline Johnson Wilson, a parent at RVA, described the school’s supports for students with complex health and behavioral needs, noting the program’s intensive support class and citing what she said were strong outcomes including a reported 100 percent graduation rate and low truancy. She urged an independent audit “to confirm that funds are correctly assigned, expended in accordance with budgetary intent, and leveraged to achieve the greatest impact.”
Lofton Pickens, instructional compliance coordinator at RVA, said RVA represents less than 1 percent of the RPS budget and asked the council to consider an independent audit of district expenditures so RVA is properly counted in any budget amendments. Sandra Portee, virtual learning coordinator and homebound coordinator for RPS, said homebound services are temporary and cannot replace RVA’s full curriculum and structure; she described RVA as “a necessity” for families who rely on that model and again asked for full funding.
The public-comment period closed after Portee spoke. The committee did not take an immediate vote on RPS funding during the meeting; committee members and staff acknowledged the comments and recorded an action item to provide the Human Rights Commission membership list at the request of Council member Jones.
