RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond Public Schools will break ground on three new schools on December 19.
The groundbreaking comes after Richmond City Council passed a meals tax increase to fund the renovation and replacement of crumbling Richmond school facilities.
The meals tax increase will reportedly generate $9.1 million in new funding per year. With that added tax revenue, Richmond could expand its debt capacity to borrow up to $150 million to fund new school construction over the next five years.
The meals tax, proposed by Mayor Levar Stoney, will fund the replacement of George Mason Elementary School, E.S.H. Greene Elementary School, and Elkhart-Thompson Middle School.
The December 19 groundbreakings will mark the formal beginning of construction for the new schools.
“This is another significant step in our progress to invest in the future of our public school students and get them the state-of-the-art schools with the modern learning environments they deserve,” said Mayor Stoney. “We value our students and will continue to fight to provide them with the resources they need to succeed, both inside and outside the classroom.”
Richmond City Council President Chris Hilbert calls the new schools groundbreaking “an investment in our future.”
“The long-awaited action to do something about our city school facilities will be underway before the year’s end,” he added.
RPS Superintendent Jason Kamras thanked city guests and visitors for dining out and making it possible to help fund school facilities.
“In this way, we are all investing in our children, and I am excited we are on pace to see the tangible results of this needed investment within the next two years,” said Kamras.
The schools are expected to be completed by fall of 2020.
