September 10, 2007
Patrick Henry Initiative update
Jess from the PH School Initiative passes along an update:
We are now in the process of editing our charter application! It looks like all is going according to our timeline of submitting it to the school board by mid September.
We have an exciting announcement for those of you who thought you might live too far out of our proposed radius of 1 mile from the school. According to the law, we have to offer admission to all Richmond residents if we do not fill to capacity. While we will strive to keep Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts a neighborhood school, we are gratified to know that many of our friends in surrounding neighborhoods will not be excluded from Richmond’s first true charter school.
So, what’s stopping you from getting involved? Your child could be in our first class of 2008! Come to our next meeting at the Berryman Center(W. 32ND /McDonough) every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.
I do not generally support charter schools because they divert money and energy from our public schools. However, I am impressed with the dedication and energy demonstrated by the Patrick Henry people. If it turns out that the School Board does not approve their charter school application, I hope they transfer their energy and commitment to improving our existing neighborhood schools. I invite those of them living west of the creek in Forest Hill Park to join Friends of Fourth District Schools. We are dedicated to improving all the schools in our district and can use all the help we can get. For more information about our group, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/districtfourschools.