This article was in our archive, and we were encouraged to share it with you. It is a letter from Senator McEachin regarding the real FACT that the East End is suffering from the “separate and unequal” sydrome that Brown v. Board of Education made illegal over fifty years ago, but is still alive and well on the East End thanks to our school board and administrators.
As one cafeteria manager from Highland Springs High shared on Thursday night, the cafeteria in that school is a health code nightmare due to not having up to date sanitizing equipment and hot water.
HOW COULD THE BOARD EVEN CONSIDER GIVING OUR MONEY TO THE WEST END FOR THEIR “EXTRAS” WHEN OUR CHILDREN CANNOT EVEN HAVE SANITIZED DISHES, WORKING TOILETS, HOT WATER TO WASH THEIR HANDS, AND SAFE SCHOOLS?????
We found Senator McEachin’s words of “poor judgment” and “insensitivity” to be appropriately stern, and communicated the growing concern that we on the East End continue to face with no effective or meaningful solutions from Mr. Morton or this school board.
We guess it’s just a coincidence that school board members and Mr. Morton can demonstrate such blatant and bias “poor judgment” and keep their jobs. Educational advocates like Ms. Lucas can be falsely accused of “poor judgment” for expressing the exact same sentiments as Mr. McEachin, and be retaliated against by Mr. Morton. We wonder why he did not retaliate against Mr. McEachin? Hmmmmmm….. we all know why!
The reality is that if you REALLY care about our East End children, families, schools, communities, and educators; letters like this from government officials would NOT be necessary!
Notice how Mr. McEachin was careful to include the two newly elected school board members, Mr. Bagby and Mr. Montgomery in his correspondence. It makes us all wonder why they are not more sensitive, vocal, and responsive to the plight of the East End and its students, families, communities, and educa-tors.
Turning a “blind eye” to the injustices that this administration is perpetrating on our children, parents, and educators cannot continue gentlemen! We elected you to be OUR voices, OUR children’s voices, OUR educator’s voices, OUR parent’s voices, and OUR communities’ voices….WE CAN’T HEAR YOU! WE NEED TO HEAR YOU NOT JUST SPEAK THE MISSION OF HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE NEED YOU TO “LIVE” IT THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS AS OUR ELECTED VOICES!
“I received a letter from Delegate and State Senator-Elect Donald McEachin and look forward to speaking to him directly. We will give him information and data that I hope alleviates any of his concerns about the Fairfield Middle School renovation project. I appreciate Delegate McEachin’s support and commitment to the students and staff of Henrico County Public Schools.”
5905 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23230
804.288.3381
December 3, 2007
Dr. Fred S. Morton, IV
Superintendent of Schools
Henrico County Public Schools
Post Office Box 23120
Richmond, Virginia 23223-0420
The transfer of this money to renovate the 50 year old Fairfield Middle School to Deep Run and Tucker for the purpose of designing field houses has left many across Henrico County shaking their heads in disbelief. Essentially the Board has said that athletics in the western part of the County is more important than updating academic facilities in the eastern part of the County.
When I go door to door in eastern Henrico the one consistent concern that I hear from my constituents is that the County government favors the western part of the county over the eastern portion of the County. This transfer of money only serves to confirm that belief in the minds of many.
I hope the incoming Board will reverse this very poor decision and I would further hope that you, as the Superintendent of our schools here in Henrico, would encourage the new Board to reinstate the funding for the eastern area schools and explain to them both the dismay among the citizens and the importance of academic facilities. Please know also I intend to work with all the concerned residents to try and remedy this egregious situation.
On Friday I will, of course, attend the annual legislative breakfast that the Board sponsors for the Henrico delegation to the General Assembly. I must tell you however, that at this juncture I doubt if a legislative agenda prepared by a Board of such poor judgment and insensitivity will fair well in the upcoming session.
I look forward to hearing from you on any positive developments on this very discouraging situation.
Respectfully,
A. Donald McEachin
cc: Mr. Lamont Bagby
Mr. John Montgomery
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