Бывшие чиновники Ричмонда создали организацию для сбора налогов на строительство школ во всем штате Вирджиния

Kristen Nye and Lincoln Saunders used to help decide the future of the City of Richmond. Now the former government officials are teaming up for a venture that aims to help localities across Virginia take advantage of a new school funding-related state law. Nye, who was formerly president of Richmond City Council, and Saunders, the city’s former chief administrative officer, announced last week the formation of their new statewide nonprofit, Virginians for Modern Schools. The advocacy comes in response to a law, passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, that gives every county and city in Virginia the option to ask voters to approve an additional sales tax of up to 1% for school construction and renovation costs. Funds from the referendum could be used only for new school construction and school-related capital improvements or renovations. The sales tax would not be applied to purchases of groceries, personal hygiene products or medications. Before the passage of the law this summer, only nine localities in Virginia had the option to raise their local sales tax for such a use, though none was in the Richmond region. Now, at least 22 of the 133 localities across the state are actively looking to capitalize on it by adding the referendum to the November ballot, including Richmond and Powhatan and Chesterfield counties, per the new nonprofit. Nye and Saunders want to help spread the word to the rest of the bunch. Nye, who also was a Richmond Public Schools board member for four years, said that after the passage of the new law, both she and Saunders wanted to create an initiative that could educate localities across Virginia about what the referendum could do to improve the condition of their schools and speed up the timeline on school construction projects. The duo launched Virginians for Modern Schools as a 501(c)(4) in recent weeks. The nonprofit’s founders and its five-member board have had one meeting thus far and are looking to ramp up programming soon as November grows closer. Members of the newly formed board include Richmond Planning Commission member Dakia Knight, former Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Gee, and Kelly Chopus, former president and CEO of the Robins Foundation. Nye said the group could potentially look to send out educational mailers, create “tool kits” around education on the referendum and organize outreach to counties with the referendum on the ballot, which she said has begun. “Early voting starts in a month, so we’re kind of in crunch time. That’s what we’re going to be honing in (on),” Nye said. “I think with my background and Lincoln’s background, we have this interesting mix of government and schools but also understanding sort of the campaign side of things.” Nye said the nonprofit is being financed by corporate and private donors and organizations, though she declined to identify specific funding sources, adding that Virginians for Modern Schools will look to raise $1 million to $1.5 million over the next few months. As for need, Nye cited a 2021 Virginia Department of Education report that found more than half of the state’s public school buildings were at least 50 years old and that estimated nearly $25 billion was needed at the time to fully replace those facilities. “You have a city like Richmond where there has been construction in recent years. However, there is still a huge backlog of schools that need a major renovation or a full replacement,” Nye said. “Then, you have other localities where their entire school system may only be, like, five buildings, but they haven’t built a school building in 30 years.” Nye said Virginians for Modern Schools has begun reaching out to localities about potentially working together. She added that along with donor funding, if localities are seeking more help around voter education, the nonprofit could potentially assist through contracted services, or through facilitating seeking out additional help. Matthew Percival, vice chair of the Richmond City School Board, said this week that while he was personally not involved in any conversations with the nonprofit yet, he “absolutely would have a conversation.” On Monday, both city and school officials gathered for a news conference to encourage Richmonders to vote yes on the referendum. “This is a generational opportunity to address one of our city’s biggest needs – building world class schools for our students to get the best education possible,” Mayor Danny Avula said at the event. Officials said that if the referendum is passed, estimates project the sales tax could generate upward of $850 million for new school construction through 2034. As an enticement to voters, Chesterfield and Richmond officials have also both proposed pairing the school funding measure with reductions in real estate or meals taxes to offset costs for residents. If passed, the tax referendum would expire after 20 years unless renewed. Percival said Richmond Public Schools is planning on conducting a citywide forum in each of the nine districts to solicit community feedback, though he added that the school district also has its own ideas about school renovations and upkeep. He added that a 2024 independent study by a third-party firm determined that city school facilities have “over $300 million in needs over 10 years (to 2034) and over $600 million in needs out (to 2044).” He cited that with almost 70% of all Richmond school buildings being over 50 years old, providing funding for things like roofing, HVAC systems, new windows and plumbing are priorities. “I represent the 1st District … Mary Mumford, Albert Hill, Thomas Jefferson. Albert Hill is 100 years old this year. … Those schools, they really need reinvestment. There’s a lot of deferred maintenance going on. They need HVAC attention, they’re going to need roofs over the coming years, they need windows,” he said. Percival added: “We just got Thomas Jefferson pressure washed … but we had to rely on the Tee Jay Vikings Fund, a community organization, to do it, because RPS didn’t have the money for it.” Richmond Public Schools’ Capital Improvement Plan budget for fiscal year 2027 came in at $9.9 million. In Powhatan, county school officials told BizSense they estimate that the referendum, if passed, could bring in $5 million to $6 million yearly in extra school improvement funds. Thomas Sulzer, the Powhatan County Schools director of facilities, said that with five public schools along with a school transportation facility and the Powhatan Landmark Center that houses school offices and dates to the 1930s, the school system is looking at where it could improve things like aging HVAC systems, roofing and other long-needed maintenance. A 2023 facilities study of Powhatan County Schools identified around $80 million in maintenance and capital needs, he added. “I think when you’re looking at (it), there are components, rather than a major project,” he said. As Virginians for Modern Schools gets off the ground and continues engaging localities, Nye said next steps include starting conversations with localities across the state to figure out where they can provide information about the referendum. “The common thread is, people are sort of treading water in maintaining a level, not always a great level, of maintenance in their school buildings, because there’s just not enough capital funding to access,” she said. “(We’re) really drilling down into each locality to find out what specifically is going on there and if there are any specific challenges in getting this across the finish line.” Nye said Virginians for Modern Schools would continue its efforts for the next year or two, and that by 2028, it could wind down or move to another school funding-related mission, depending on if she, Saunders and the nonprofit’s board see more needs they can work on related to the work they’re doing. Nye also owns her eponymous communications firm, Nye Strategies, while Saunders is senior director of local public affairs at consulting firm Capital Results. Kristen Nye and Lincoln Saunders used to help decide the future of the City of Richmond. Now the former government officials are teaming up for a venture that aims to help localities across Virginia take advantage of a new school funding-related state law. Nye, who was formerly president of Richmond City Council, and Saunders, the city’s former chief administrative officer, announced last week the formation of their new statewide nonprofit, Virginians for Modern Schools. The advocacy comes in response to a law, passed by the General Assembly earlier this year, that gives every county and city in Virginia the option to ask voters to approve an additional sales tax of up to 1% for school construction and renovation costs. Funds from the referendum could be used only for new school construction and school-related capital improvements or renovations. The sales tax would not be applied to purchases of groceries, personal hygiene products or medications. Before the passage of the law this summer, only nine localities in Virginia had the option to raise their local sales tax for such a use, though none was in the Richmond region. Now, at least 22 of the 133 localities across the state are actively looking to capitalize on it by adding the referendum to the November ballot, including Richmond and Powhatan and Chesterfield counties, per the new nonprofit. Nye and Saunders want to help spread the word to the rest of the bunch. Nye, who also was a Richmond Public Schools board member for four years, said that after the passage of the new law, both she and Saunders wanted to create an initiative that could educate localities across Virginia about what the referendum could do to improve the condition of their schools and speed up the timeline on school construction projects. The duo launched Virginians for Modern Schools as a 501(c)(4) in recent weeks. The nonprofit’s founders and its five-member board have had one meeting thus far and are looking to ramp up programming soon as November grows closer. Members of the newly formed board include Richmond Planning Commission member Dakia Knight, former Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Gee, and Kelly Chopus, former president and CEO of the Robins Foundation. Nye said the group could potentially look to send out educational mailers, create “tool kits” around education on the referendum and organize outreach to counties with the referendum on the ballot, which she said has begun. “Early voting starts in a month, so we’re kind of in crunch time. That’s what we’re going to be honing in (on),” Nye said. “I think with my background and Lincoln’s background, we have this interesting mix of government and schools but also understanding sort of the campaign side of things.” Nye said the nonprofit is being financed by corporate and private donors and organizations, though she declined to identify specific funding sources, adding that Virginians for Modern Schools will look to raise $1 million to $1.5 million over the next few months. As for need, Nye cited a 2021 Virginia Department of Education report that found more than half of the state’s public school buildings were at least 50 years old and that estimated nearly $25 billion was needed at the time to fully replace those facilities. “You have a city like Richmond where there has been construction in recent years. However, there is still a huge backlog of schools that need a major renovation or a full replacement,” Nye said. “Then, you have other localities where their entire school system may only be, like, five buildings, but they haven’t built a school building in 30 years.” Nye said Virginians for Modern Schools has begun reaching out to localities about potentially working together. She added that along with donor funding, if localities are seeking more help around voter education, the nonprofit could potentially assist through contracted services, or through facilitating seeking out additional help. Matthew Percival, vice chair of the Richmond City School Board, said this week that while he was personally not involved in any conversations with the nonprofit yet, he “absolutely would have a conversation.” On Monday, both city and school officials gathered for a news conference to encourage Richmonders to vote yes on the referendum. “This is a generational opportunity to address one of our city’s biggest needs – building world class schools for our students to get the best education possible,” Mayor Danny Avula said at the event. Officials said that if the referendum is passed, estimates project the sales tax could generate upward of $850 million for new school construction through 2034. As an enticement to voters, Chesterfield and Richmond officials have also both proposed pairing the school funding measure with reductions in real estate or meals taxes to offset costs for residents. If passed, the tax referendum would expire after 20 years unless renewed. Percival said Richmond Public Schools is planning on conducting a citywide forum in each of the nine districts to solicit community feedback, though he added that the school district also has its own ideas about school renovations and upkeep. He added that a 2024 independent study by a third-party firm determined that city school facilities have “over $300 million in needs over 10 years (to 2034) and over $600 million in needs out (to 2044).” He cited that with almost 70% of all Richmond school buildings being over 50 years old, providing funding for things like roofing, HVAC systems, new windows and plumbing are priorities. “I represent the 1st District … Mary Mumford, Albert Hill, Thomas Jefferson. Albert Hill is 100 years old this year. … Those schools, they really need reinvestment. There’s a lot of deferred maintenance going on. They need HVAC attention, they’re going to need roofs over the coming years, they need windows,” he said. Percival added: “We just got Thomas Jefferson pressure washed … but we had to rely on the Tee Jay Vikings Fund, a community organization, to do it, because RPS didn’t have the money for it.” Richmond Public Schools’ Capital Improvement Plan budget for fiscal year 2027 came in at $9.9 million. In Powhatan, county school officials told BizSense they estimate that the referendum, if passed, could bring in $5 million to $6 million yearly in extra school improvement funds. Thomas Sulzer, the Powhatan County Schools director of facilities, said that with five public schools along with a school transportation facility and the Powhatan Landmark Center that houses school offices and dates to the 1930s, the school system is looking at where it could improve things like aging HVAC systems, roofing and other long-needed maintenance. A 2023 facilities study of Powhatan County Schools identified around $80 million in maintenance and capital needs, he added. “I think when you’re looking at (it), there are components, rather than a major project,” he said. As Virginians for Modern Schools gets off the ground and continues engaging localities, Nye said next steps include starting conversations with localities across the state to figure out where they can provide information about the referendum. “The common thread is, people are sort of treading water in maintaining a level, not always a great level, of maintenance in their school buildings, because there’s just not enough capital funding to access,” she said. “(We’re) really drilling down into each locality to find out what specifically is going on there and if there are any specific challenges in getting this across the finish line.” Nye said Virginians for Modern Schools would continue its efforts for the next year or two, and that by 2028, it could wind down or move to another school funding-related mission, depending on if she, Saunders and the nonprofit’s board see more needs they can work on related to the work they’re doing. Nye also owns her eponymous communications firm, Nye Strategies, while Saunders is senior director of local public affairs at consulting firm Capital Results.