Not your mother's schoolhouse

Good news, the new, enlarged parking lot in front of the Goochland County administration building is finished and open.

The new parking lot is ready to receive cars!

For quite some time, the conventional wisdom about new schools in Goochland was that a new, generic elementary school needed to be built somewhere in the east end. The latest county capital improvement plan (CIP) includes a $35 million “placeholder” to pay for it.

The cost of needed school facilities is a significant component of the fiscal impact model and a 25 year CIP that the county is building to provide realistic data on which to evaluate the consequences of  land use decisions. To that end, the Board of Supervisors appropriated funds for the School Board to retain consultants to complete a comprehensive  long-term facilities master plan.

A the end of September, the consultants, who worked closely with a steering committee comprised of schools staff, parents, and interested citizens, presented their recommendations.

On November 28, the Board of Supervisors and School Board held a joint workshop to share and discuss the findings. (The School Board is expected to adopt these recommendations at its December 4 meeting.)

The meeting was notable because our current supervisors and school board have a cordial relationship that enables open and honest discussion. This is a rarity among jurisdictions in the Commonwealth.

School Board Chairperson Beth Hardy, District 4, opened the meeting with the following remarks, reprinted, in part, with her permission:

“…Six years ago when all of us took office, things were very different. Since that time, you all have done a tremendous job of turning things around for the County. Thanks to your efforts, Goochland now holds an enviable financial rating status and is seeing tremendous growth with great economic development opportunities. 

Likewise, during that time, our schools have experienced a Renaissance of sorts. Our Vision is “to inspire and prepare the next generation to have a positive impact.” We are doing just that. With your support over the years, Goochland is now a leader in academic achievement in the region and beyond, and we are a beacon of innovation across the Commonwealth. We want to continue this trajectory of excellence. 

When we talk today about “investing in our schools,” we fully acknowledge that we are talking about spending money. We have worked hard, along with your Board, to provide fiscal transparency and show that we are good stewards of the taxpayers’ money.  All decisions are based on the best interest of our students. So when we bring our recommendations to you today regarding specific needs, we know that we are talking about real dollars that we need to plan for in the coming years. Money will be spent on the schools - whether it is via maintenance or building new schools. We hope that our presentation today can help guide you in those decisions. 

Some may think that the schools are “good enough” - that we are doing just fine in our current facilities. We believe that we are achieving “in spite” of the facility conditions, but we are reaching a point of diminishing returns. We have three elementary schools that are 60+ years old and even with the addition of some space in recent years, we are at or beyond capacity at those schools.

We come to you today as partners. We take our job very seriously in providing you with information that will help direct your capital investments in the coming years. We realize you have to balance numerous needs county-wide - fire & rescue, utilities, and other county services, and it is our hope that what we share with you today will clearly identify the schools’ needs so that you may plan pro-actively for the K-12 educational needs of a growing, high-achieving, leading community in central Virginia. Goochland values that we are a leader in education and their input during this process validates that. This is not just the desire of our respective boards; this is a vision shared and embraced by the community.  

Years ago, architectural drawings were developed for a new Goochland Elementary School. The number associated with that project has become a bit of a placeholder for us - even though we all knew the number to be outdated. However, that was for one project and was developed in a bit of a vacuum without the broader context of  the needs of the entire community, expected growth, and the estimated cost of maintaining other older facilities. And that is exactly what our study these past several months provides - context. The needs are great and varied, and the recommendations are thoughtful and measured and realistic. 

The information we are presenting to you today is credible - using a thorough and thoughtful process; it’s data-driven - based on enrollment forecasts and industry standards regarding facility conditions; and it is inclusive -  engaging numerous stakeholders across the community. The resulting recommendations are, we believe, very realistic needs that the schools have - some of which are quite urgent based on school capacities and conditions.  

New construction and/or renovations will provide program enhancements for our students and meet the pressing need to create spaces that reflect how people work and learn today. Replacing aging facilities is integral to our plan to continue leading in busting out of the confines of an outdated approach to K-12 education - which is our bigger goal. It also provides intangibles like safety, energy efficiency, teacher retention, and accountability to the community we serve.”

School superintendent Dr. Jeremy Raley said that the workplace where our students will spend their futures is changing. Education, he contended, is more than bricks and mortar. “Good can be the enemy of great and we cannot be satisfied with the status quo.”

Consultant Tracy Richter, whose firm completed the study, explained that the results used student enrollment projections for moderate and high growth rates over the next decades. The high enrollment, shows a total of 3,178 students in the school division for the 2026-27 school year.  See http://www.dejongrichter.com/goochlandschools/ for the complete report.

Richer said that he has great confidence in the numbers for the next five years “not so much” for the out years. “Right now, all elementary schools are at capacity. They can handle it, but at some point, it will become unmanageable.” Analysis of the yield by subdivision an ongoing process. Data in the report suggests that higher-priced homes, in general, yield fewer public school students.

Architect Mike Ross, who was part of the study team, explained that buildings are comprised of structure and systems. All county elementary schools are about 60 years old, but it is about more than the age and capacity of the structures, he contended. Systems including roofs, HVAC, and bathrooms need replacement before structures. But, said Ross, there are times when it makes more sense to replace, rather than fix, an aging building.

The report includes many components in several phases over the next  20 years. First up is a replacement of Goochland Elementary School on a new site.  The high/middle school complex is on a more than 100 acre parcel owned by the School Board. While no specific location was mentioned, this seems most likely.

Options for the other two elementary schools, Byrd and Randolph, include total replacement or significant renovation and expansion on the same site. The plan recommends that Goochland have only three elementary schools, albeit with higher capacity. At some point, this could require attendance boundary adjustments to move students from the Randolph zone to GES. Note: THIS IS NOT ANTICIAPATED FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

Richter contended that there is no correlation between class and school size in the quality of education. (Larger schools) means two to four more teachers per grade and permit more efficiency in full staffing. He contended fewer, larger schools “is not a big issue.”

Other facility improvements include moving career and technical education to the high school for easier integration into student schedules; expansion of space for athletics and fine arts, and dishwashing equipment for the GHS/GMS cafeteria.

Currently, Richer said, square footage of Goochland elementary schools is below state minimums, but this is offset  by small  class sizes. Students no longer learn sitting in neat rows of desks. Larger classrooms that allow flexible configurations are needed to accommodate today’s teaching methods.

The supervisors listened attentively to the presentations. Since taking office, they have supported school initiative when fiscally feasible.

Board vice-chair Ken Peterson, District 5,  observed that there are “a lot of moving parts” to the report. “We could get into trouble building all new everything at once.” He said that Goochland tax rates are competitive and cannot be increased. We need to determine the highest and best use of resources and that there are tradeoffs. High quality schools is where it all starts. We want to build on the great work  you’ve (schools) already done, as we optimize use of tax dollars.”

School Board member John Wright, District 5 said the plan will require tough decisions  among quality options in a (fiscally) digestible manner.

Goochland County Administrator John Budesky said the supervisors share citizen concern is this the right thing to do? Doing nothing also has a cost and the county must move forward. The constraint of available resources, he said, takes work to prioritize in the next five years. Goochland cannot bite off $50 million in school projects. Other items, including a new courthouse is a major cost driver that must be put into context. All of the valuable projects put forth by the schools will help craft a road map for the county’s collective needs over the next 25 years.

The supervisors will hold another CIP workshop for county departments on December 11 at 3 p.m. A pubic hearing on a proposed 25 year CIP is excepted to take place in January.