CHESTERFIELD, Va. -- Pictures shared with CBS 6 by concerned parents show a very damaged Enon Elementary School. Parents and teachers alike have had enough of the leaky roof, with the ceiling missing panels, and a building in states of disrepair – including a hole in the floor so big that a teacher fell through it.
Parents and teachers said the school on Route 10 – built in 1928 – is crumbling in its old age, and that a new building is long overdue.
“The building itself is in terrible shape,” said Jennifer Lackey.
“It shows its age, definitely does,” said Jonathon Ellis.
Parents said Enon Elementary on Route 10 – built in 1928 – is crumbling in its old age, and that a new building is long overdue.
Lackey and Ellis are just a few of the parents who want to keep the spotlight on Enon, and the desperate need for a brand-new school.
School Board Members are working on the site design phase for the slated $29 million project, but parents say the building is clearly in a slump. .
Photos posted on a Facebook page Build Our New School show the clear deterioration of the 88-year-old building.
“When you have teachers falling through the floors and it's raining inside the classrooms, then you are definitely concerned as a parent,” Lackey said.
Enon Elementary
There is another conundrum concerning the new school’s next location: the county’s comprehensive plan requires a 30-acre parcel to build a new elementary school. The site where Enon sits now is just a little more than 11 acres.
School board chair Carrie Coyner, an Enon alum herself, said parents have made it clear they want to keep Enon on the hill.
“The struggle we have is with the new environmental laws in place now that weren't before. You need a lot more space to handle parking and environmental design," Coyner explained.
Chesterfield County leadershave 10 county schools slated for renovation, and plan to spend about $25 million over the next three years, just fixing up schools. The renovations are part of a $304 million initiative to improve school buildings in the county.
“To say we deserve it, of course, everyone deserves the best that we can provide for our kids,” Ellis said.
While the county works out the plans, parents said they're encouraged to see students excelling despite the glaring physical issues they face every day.
Enon Elementary
“I can only imagine what the school would be like with state of the art supplies, building, everything,” Lackey said. “We're excelling under these conditions and we’re only giving them a better chance if we improve the building for them.”
At an upcoming School Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 9, parents will be able to speak and hear how the school board plans to prioritize Capital Improvement Projects, including when and where Enon falls on the list.
The meeting starts at 6:30 pm in the Public Meeting Room, 1001 Iron Bridge Road. Parents wishing to attend and speak need to contact (804) 748-1497 to reserve a spot.
