School Board

Groundbreaking

By Press release on October 15, 2019 School Board, Schools

A groundbreaking for the new $24.57 million Ettrick Elementary School was was held Monday, Oct. 7. Oyster Point Construction Co. of Newport News was awarded the contract. The total budget for the project is $27.1 million, including an estimated additional cost of $1 million for an expanded gymnasium. The school – which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021 – and Reams Elementary are the last two of 11 schools to either be renovated or replaced as a result of the $304 million bond referendum that voters approved in 2013.

School board candidates profiled for Nov. 5 election

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 24, 2019 School Board, Schools

CokerPottsHarterMcCall AresBailey DALE DISTRICT Debbie Graves Bailey (R) Age: 57 Occupation: retired teacher Status: married Children: Sarah, 29, Jake, 24 Why I am running: I have dedicated my entire professional life to the education of youth in Chesterfield County. Even though I retired from the classroom in June, my commitment to ensuring the very best education for all the students and families in Chesterfield continues. I want to bring a teacher’s voice to the board. With the perspective of a mother and a teacher, I want to help develop the vision and goals for Chesterfield County schools. I want to…

Coyner blames former sup’t for school district’s problems

By Caleb M Soptelean on September 17, 2019 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government, School Board, Schools, Transportation

A group of mostly women protested outside last week’s school board meeting about health and maintenance issues. (Courtesy photo) Chesterfield’s former school superintendent was faulted last week by a school board member for the district’s maintenance and transportation woes. At the school district’s Sept. 10 meeting, Bermuda District representative Carrie Coyner laid blame at the feet of former superintendent James F. Lane, who led Chesterfield schools from July 2016 to June 2018 and left to become the state superintendent of public instruction. Lane was replaced by Merv Daugherty, who started Nov. 1. “We have had ongoing maintenance problems,” Coyner said.…

New Harrowgate Elementary to get expanded gym

By Caleb M Soptelean on June 18, 2019 School Board, Schools

The site of the new Harrowgate Elementary School, which includes a pond, is pictured above. A $350,000 change order for construction of a new Harrowgate Elementary School was approved by the Chesterfield County School Board last week, with news that the building’s gymnasium will be expanded. The new Harrowgate School was to be identical to the new Enon Elementary School. However, the county requested that the gymnasiums at Harrowgate, Ettrick, Crestwood and Reams elementary schools be expanded. According to a staff report, each gym would be expanded by 3,565 square feet to accommodate community use. The cost for each expansion…

New Harrowgate Elementary School coming

By Caleb M Soptelean on April 23, 2019 School Board, Schools

A new Harrowgate Elementary School is on the way after Chesterfield County officials broke ground at 4000 Cougar Trail last week. The new 782-student school will replace the current 760-student school located at 15501 Harrowgate Road, which was built in 1960. The new school will be built next to Carver Middle School, and local officials touted that as a benefit for students. School board member Carrie Coyner said the new Harrowgate School will be identical to the new Enon Elementary School. Harrowgate was originally supposed to be renovated, but because of a planned road (the East-West Corridor), county officials decided…

County and school leaders criticized during budget hearing; Recycling options also discussed

By Caleb M Soptelean on April 2, 2019 Board of Supervisors, Chesterfield Government, School Board

County supervisors got an earful during last week’s public hearing on the proposed budget. Several speakers criticized the school district for not cutting enough, while others asked for more funding for teachers’ salaries in addition to the 3 percent included in the proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Midlothian resident Ron Hayes said the board of supervisors has not underfunded schools, and schools have not scrubbed their budget. He criticized the school district for funding swimming, rowing and lacrosse sports programs instead of putting a nurse in every school. He railed against the district paying $60,000 a year for a hotel…

Chesterfield school board approves FY2020 budget

By Caleb M Soptelean on March 5, 2019 School Board

The Chesterfield County Public Schools Board voted 4-0 last week to approve its Fiscal Year 2020 budget. Midlothian District board member Javaid Siddiqi was absent for the Feb. 26 meeting. Superintendent Merv Daugherty had proposed the $672.2 million budget, which is $17.5 million more than the FY2019 budget. “I think overall we’ve done a great job as a board trying to figure out what our needs are … in regard to sending over a balanced budget,” Bermuda District board member Carrie Coyner said. “We probably should do some long hard looking at how we run our school division,” she said,…

Superintendent seeking $7.7M more from Chesterfield

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 29, 2019 Board of Supervisors, School Board, Schools

The new Chesterfield school superintendent is asking for a 3-percent raise for teachers and staff and an additional $7.7 million from the county to help fund a proposed $17.5 million budget increase for Fiscal Year 2020. The salary increases alone would cost $12.9 million in the $672.2 million budget. Staff received increases of 2, 3, 2 and 2 percent in each of the past four years. Mervyn Daugherty made the proposal during the school board’s budget work session Jan. 22. The increase would support an additional 54 staff members because of an estimated increase of 520 students. This includes an…

Coyner seeks to replace Ingram in General Assembly

By Caleb M Soptelean on January 22, 2019 Politics, School Board, State News

Carrie Coyner believes in girl power. The 37-year-old Chester resident announced last week that she is seeking the Republican nomination for the House District 62 seat currently held by state Del. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell. Coyner said she wants to offer “a different voice,” that of a “young female business owner.” Coyner is in her eighth year representing the Bermuda District on the Chesterfield school board. Ingram said he is not running again. “He’s done an amazing job,” said Coyner, a business and real estate attorney and the daughter of George and Darlene Emerson. Ingram said he is supporting Coyner and…

School board postpones decision on year-round school at Bellwood Elementary

By Caleb M Soptelean on March 20, 2018 School Board

By Caleb M. Soptelean After much discussion, the Chesterfield County Public Schools board last week decided to postpone a decision about year-round school at Bellwood Elementary. Eleven people spoke during public comment, including several teachers who spoke in favor of the plan and several parents spoke against it. Year-round school would begin in July and include nine weeks of instruction followed by three-week intercessions. Included in the plan are activities for some 150 economically-disadvantaged students to participate in during the intercessions. Principal Jennifer Rudd said 74.6 percent of parents returned a survey in January with 88.7 percent in favor of…

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