The poll was up for a week. The intent was to close it when there were more than 100 votes cast, but I wanted to get that baseball poll in place. With ongoing discussions both here and River District News, I was curious to see if there was a quiet consensus out there either way on this.

Last season’s polling was essentially worthless, but still fun, right?

The 3 school board candidates took questions form the crowd of 25 or so, though nothing new or revelatory came out from either Don Coleman or Torey Edmonds. While Ronald Bond also took questions, it was at times difficult to ascertain his positions. I had recorded this forum, but my phone ate the file in the transfer; a shame, as you really need to hear Mr.Bond speak for yourself.

The 7th district candidates got much less time in Fulton. The school board candidates each gave a short statment but were not given time for questions. Ms.McQuinn was not present due to other pressing issues, but challenger Clarence Keney was there to give a statement.

> You can listen to Mr.Kenney’s statement here.

The mayoral candidates were up next, though I left fairly early into that.

Edmonds, who is black, said parents in her community are looking for something better than they are getting from the city’s public schools. “On the one hand, you can’t be unhappy with the school system and on the other hand shut the door to opportunities,” Edmonds said after the news conference in front of the former Patrick Henry Elementary School.

Folks have brought up the fact that, in contrast to other candidates, Edmonds’ own children have gone to out-of-zone schools and, at times, private schools. Edmonds’ direct response to this is that as a parent, she made the best choice that she could for her children. Saying that she “knows what a good education looks like” and that every child should have the opportunity to get a good education, Edmonds describes a need to “raise the bar”.

Edmonds ran for the 7th district school board seat 4 years ago but did not run in 2006 because she felt that West represented her needs as a parent. When asked which of the current school board she most respected, she in turn asked if she could name 3. She put forth Keith West for his push towards accountability, Carol Wolf for her emphasis on doing is what is right for the children, and Kimberly Bridges.

The neighbor brought up the fact that, as much as she personally is a supporter of Keith West, that any association with him could be to Edmonds’ detriment in this election. To this Edmonds’ replied that she wasn’t concerned with that type of thing, and that her positions are what they are.

Edmonds thinks that charter schools are viable, though they should be approached with care. She also stated that Bellevue should not be closed. She says that as long as Bellevue only has 32 students in its draw zone then it will be perpetually on the chopping block. A way to save the school would be to rezone so that the school has a healthy number of students in its zone.

In Edmonds opinion, the current school board should not choose the next superintendent. With so much potential change this time around and the new 4-year terms, the next board should have the say on this. She feels that the next superintendent should come from outside of Richmond Public Schools.

She lamented that our neighborhood middle school always has a police car parked right at the front door, questioning what kind of message that sends (or reinforces) about the school. So much of what is put forth about the schools emphasized the negatives of the system, the positives need more attention. She also said that steps needed to be taked to attract and retain qualified teachers.

Edmonds said that it is time to stop blaming the socioeconomics of the students or the lack of parental involvement for school performance. In her words, the schools need to take ownership of thier jobs and teach the kids that come in.

She ended the conversation by giving everyone a question to ask of herself or any of the other candidates when solutions/ideas are put forth: “What does that look like in real life?”. Hold the candidates accountable before and after the election, she urges.

Edmonds has been part of the East End community for quite a while. An example of her long roots in the community is the fact that Edmonds lives in the house that she herself was brougt home to from the hospital as an infant. She has been a community activist for many years, including a run for the school board 4 years ago and acting as 7th district community liaison for the Mayor’s Roundtable for the past 8 months or so.

Edmonds is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, with a BS in Criminal Justice. In addition, she has participated in UVa’s prestigious Sorensen Institute of Political Leadership and the Virginia Collaborative Leadership Program. She is currently employed as a Community Liaison Specialist at VCU’s Clark-Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development, with previous stints at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Youth Violence and the Richmond East District Improvement Corporation.

Given The Mayor’s Award from the City of Richmond for Outstanding Community leadership in the 7th District in 1998, Edmonds was named a City of Richmond distinguished citizen for “providing leadership, fortitude and commitment to ensuring that the quality of life for residents of the East End in the city of Richmond maintains steady improvement” in 2002, and received a certificate of recognition from the Richmond Police Department for providing outstanding support and leadership to the Richmond Police Department in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Present were Wade Elligood president of the REA, Tichi Pinkney-Epps (President of Richmond Council of PTAs), 7th District School Board Representaitve Keith West, Torey Edmonds, Reggie Malone, and citizens from Church Hill, Oakwood, Fairmount, and particularly strong representation from Fulton. The evening was framed as a conversation about the facilities plan, with the additional question of “Do we just talk about buildings; should the conversation also speak to what other priorities do we want to be considered when planning for our schools?” (a direct referenct to the School Boards’s “New Direction” plan).

West explained that a new school for Fulton had been dropped to end of list by the folks that put the plan together, but that the Board is acutely aware of community desire for a school. He said that Fulton is the only community with this kind of advocacy activity. Towards possibly moving the Fulton school up the list, West is proposing a site study for Fulton in Phase 1 of the move to plan and construct the new schools. The site study would determine of there are enough school-aged children to warrent a school and if there is land available. He stated that elementary schools are at capacity in the East End.

Edmunds’ presentation gives an overview of the rational for the plan for renovation and rebuildng (eg the schools are old), and delves into the differences between major/moderate/minor renovation, and what the proposed plans for renovating/closing/building schools in East End.

• QUESTION: Looking at the projected number of students for each school, does this mean that public housing as we know it is assumed to continue?

  ANSWER: The plan does not assume any growth or changes.

• “Compared to census data, there are a lot of kids missing”, most dense populations are in the housing communities, in the northern end of the district.
• Parents say: “Improve the school system in this immediate area”, that they feel like they have to send their kids to out of zone or to private school to get a good education, schools need to be better equipped.
• Parents say: There are certain challenges in the area. Parents not treated so great in schools, by schools. Schools need to open arms to all parents, that they only hear from school when there is a complaint about a student.
• Tichi Pinkney-Epps: The PTA is a vehicle to addressing school issues, a great vehicle for parental and community involvement in the schools. A way to make the system work, “we get to demand what the system looks like”. Promises have been made about building schools since 2001. BUILD SCHOOLS NOW.