There is $3.15 million in
capital improvements under way right now across Charlottesville city schools.
"I think our
challenges are always to maintain our buildings so they're safe and
orderly," said Charlottesville Public Schools Assistant Superintendent for
Administrative Services Jim Henderson.
Staffers outlined those
improvements to the Charlottesville School Board Thursday night. Crews are busy fixing roofing, flooring,
lighting and signage.
They're also fixing the
exterior walls at Burnley-Moran Elementary and replacing 35 water fountains to
put them in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, but about a
third of that money is going toward brand new bleachers at the football
field. The old ones are rusted.
"They've aged out -
the bleachers have. Five years ago, we
went in and did some Band-Aid approach to get us through a couple more
years," Henderson said. "They've
come to the point where it's a safety issue."
Besides new bleachers, the
football field is also getting new lighting and some landscaping upgrades, but
all that won't happen until after this year's football season.
Thursday night, school
board members also got some good news about the FISH program, which stands for
friends in school helping. That's where
senior citizens from the Jefferson Area Board on Aging (JABA) come into city
schools to mentor students. The program
received a national award, named a best practice by the National Association of
Area Agencies on Aging.
"They are helping our
students to just know that somebody cares about them," Associate
Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Gertrude Ivory said. "And checking up on them and
establishing relationships with them, so it's really exciting to have so many
volunteers in our schools."
