RICHMOND, Virginia – Construction is currently underway at John Marshall High School and other schools in the city of Richmond.

Jason Kamras, superintendent of Richmond Schools, called the improvements urgently needed.

“When we sometimes say that our schools are falling apart, we mean it literally,” Kamras said.

John Marshall student Zion Stone said he was excited about the idea of ​​being able to use his school’s courtyard again.

“I really like what they are doing to create a new environment for the students here and my fellow students,” Stone said.

In addition to the John Marshall courtyard project, work crews also repaired a stormwater pipe at Reid Elementary and will pour the slab for the new Richmond High School for the Arts.

“It doesn’t sound very exciting, but it’s great that the base plate is finally poured and we can then start construction in earnest,” said Kamras.

Kamras also provided further details on a recently announced $15 million federal grant that will be used to upgrade HVAC systems in 22 RPS Title I schools.

“The average age of these Title I schools is 86 years old,” he said.

A 2020 federal report found that half of the nation’s schools need to replace their air conditioning and heating systems. A 2024 report by the nonprofit Climate Central said Richmond is like many other schools across the country — requiring more days of air conditioning to keep classrooms cool than decades ago.

“The climate is changing. Here in Richmond, it’s hotter more days of the year and it’s quite humid, and so the need for good air conditioning is increasing every day,” Kamras said.

“I think it’s very important to start with simple things like air quality, which is extremely important,” said Allison Schwartz, mother of a student at Bellevue Elementary School.

Allison and her husband Andrew came to show their support for the improvements.

“See the impact it has on the students and how much passion and pride they have for their institution. And it was exciting to see what was built on the other side of the building and how impressive it is,” said Andrew Schwartz.

Officials said more work needs to be done on school segregation and have completed an assessment to guide that work for the next five years.

They added that the cost of implementing all measures could be between $1 billion and $2 billion and called on all levels of government to help.

“Schools have always been underfunded and we need to change that. And I think some of that cost needs to fall on the shoulders of the federal government,” said Stephanie Rizzi, a member of the Richmond School Board.

Masonry work at John Marshall High School is scheduled to be completed by October.

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