Charter school to open in 2010

MELODIE N. MARTIN TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: December 20, 2008

The Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts will delay its opening by a year.

The board of the city's first charter school notified the Richmond School Board this week that it would take an option provided in its contract to extend its opening date to July 2010.

It will be in South Richmond at a former city elementary school on Semmes Avenue and operate on a year-round academic schedule. The School Board approved a contract for the school in October after two previous attempts failed.

When the contract was signed, it left Patrick Henry's board nine months to prepare the school for a July 2009 opening, said Deborah Butterworth, the board's president.

"The board felt strongly and voted unanimously that the original 18 months of planning was needed to have the best school possible," Butterworth said.

Fellow board member Antione Green, who is also president of the Richmond Crusade for Voters, agreed.

"I think it gives us more time to meet our fundraising goals as well as some other goals that we have, including developing a diversity plan," Green said.

A public school, Patrick Henry will include students from kindergarten through fifth grade and will be open to any child in the city, but it will operate independently of the city school system.

If demand exceeds space, students will be chosen through a lottery.
Contact Melodie N. Martin at (804) 649-6290 or .