Patrick Henry School: Gubernatorial support

If any question remains regarding Gov. Bob McDonnell’s commitment to Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, his plan to personally host a fundraiser for the city’s first charter school should dispel all doubts.

March 1, 2010; 10:10 PM • by Chris Dovi

Officials with the school confirm that McDonnell, along with delegates John M. O’Bannon (R-Henrico) and Joe Morrissey (D-Henrico), have committed to hosting an invite-only event on March 30.

“As of right now the details are still being worked out,” says Antione Green, chief executive officer for Patrick Henry. “It will be a community fundraiser. People will have the opportunity to demonstrate their financial support for Patrick Henry and at the same time get an opportunity to meet the governor.”

Among details remaining to be decided are where the event will be held. Plans are currently being made to hold the event at the Patrick Henry school building on Semmes Avenue.

A call to the governor’s press office was not returned by time of publication.

Political support for the school has been strong. In addition to McDonnell making Patrick Henry a central character in his broader legislative plan to encourage new Virginia charter schools, a host of state and local politicians have indicated their support for the school, including former governors Tim Kaine and George Allen. President Barack Obama also has made charters an important component for states interested in securing new federal education grant funding.

This past Saturday, Richmond City Councilman Marty Jewell sent an email to School Board Chairwoman Kimberly Bridges in which he reiterated a previously stated “deep concern that RPS needs to urgently embrace fundamental change in educational delivery.” Jewell offered to act as a mediator in ongoing issues between the School Board and Patrick Henry leaders.

Those issues are myriad, but largely come back to a single Catch 22 issue daunting Patrick Henry leaders: A lease.

The Patrick Henry charter is tied to the Patrick Henry building, which must be renovated in accordance with federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and basic safety standards, but funding to do those renovations cannot be secured without a lease to the building. The School Board so far has not signed that lease, citing Patrick Henry’s lack of funding to meet its renovation obligations.

Jewell’s letter lays bare the reality of the problem.

“There has been a new development: Paul Goldman has secured $100,000 in pledges from some very prominent members of the business community who want to help,” he writes. “But due to the current [lease] situation, he can’t nor could anyone else, answer for them the most basic of questions that any person willing to write a $50,000 [check] would, indeed, should, want answered.”

At a February 1 School Board meeting, Patrick Henry leaders acknowledged that local fundraising remained an issue, and that it had not yet secured a construction loan necessary to do renovations at the 80-year-old facility. While there, Green indicated a new fundraising initiative that aimed to raise $300,000 by March 1.

That deadline, says Patrick Henry spokeswoman Kristen Larson, has since been pushed back to the end of March.

“I think a lot of our supporters feel they need some resolution on the lease, on the budget, on some other key items” before writing checks, Larson says. “I know there are a lot of pledges out there in addition to Paul Goldman’s [pledges]. As far as big money is concerned, we’re still in this holding pattern.”

The school already has secured more than $500,000 in various federal grants, in addition to various local donations that have yet to total much more than $50,000.

According to Larson, the lag in local fundraising does not yet hamper the school’s timeline for renovation and opening. Actual construction, she says, does not need to start on the building until April 15.

The school is slated to open this July.