Coraggio Consulting
Henrico County School Board Town Hall, Thursday, September 18, 2025

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025
Place: Henrico County School Board, Virginia
Length: 12m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ2qpTWzRgA
Official meeting portal (Henrico County Public Schools, Diligent Community): https://henricoschools.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/MeetingTypeList.aspx

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-25. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:00] Thank you for taking time on a busy night to come out and be part of these important conversations. I am Marcie Shea, Chair of the Hemranco County School Board, and I am joined by all of my school board colleagues this evening, Madison Irving, Vice Chair and Representative from the Three Chop District, Kristi Kinsella, Representative of the Brooklyn District, Ryan Young, Representative of the Fairfield District, and Ms. Alicia Atkins, Representative of the Verina District.

[00:00:31] We know that discussions about school boundaries can be challenging and emotionally charged. So we appreciate you coming out to share your thoughts in a respectful, structured way. This is the very beginning of the process and your feedback will help us shape our discussions and how we move forward.

[00:00:51] The school board requested information about possible school boundary adjustments in August and received responsive scenarios from staff at our September 11th meeting. While we are considering them as a board, tonight is about hearing from you.

[00:01:11] I wanna reiterate that no decisions have been made about the scenarios we will share tonight. And we want to hear from you to help inform our next steps. Tonight, the school board will present a short overview of each scenario.

[00:01:28] Then you will break into small groups where you have the opportunity to weigh in on maps, share your thoughts, and submit written comments about timelines and transition supports. These breakout groups are structured to gather feedback on specific topics.

[00:01:46] I will note that they are not intended as a Q&A with experts. If you have specific questions, please write them on your note card or send the question to the dedicated email address redistricting at henrico.k12.va.us.

[00:02:05] So why are we talking about boundaries? Simply put, we want every student to learn in a safe, welcoming, and optimal school environment. This means making sure schools aren't too crowded or underutilized. It means that new or renovated buildings are used effectively and that families move through school feeder patterns as smoothly as possible.

[00:02:31] The scenarios reflect current enrollment numbers and what's projected in the years ahead. They also take into account new programs like the Cybersecurity Specialty Center at Henrico High School, the Center for Innovation at Criacuson Middle School, and the expansion of our ACE programs.

[00:02:52] They also consider new construction, such as the rebuilt Jackson Davis Elementary School and Cuyacuson Middle School, which will open in the next few years. The maps and scenarios you'll see have different impacts on neighborhoods and feeder patterns.

[00:03:09] So here's a quick overview of each. For Jackson Davis, and I want to note, while it does, while all of these have some neighborhoods listed, it's not necessarily a comprehensive list of the neighborhoods impacted.

[00:03:24] When you go to the redistricting site, if you open the maps that are there, it has satellite images that are very clear as to what the proposed boundaries are. So Jackson-Davis with a new school opening in 2026, some nearby neighborhoods would shift from Ridge Elementary to Davis, leveraging new space and bouncing enrollment between the schools.

[00:03:47] You can see those areas shaded in blue, orange, and purple stripes at the center of the map. Jackson-Davis will gain roughly 72 students who would move from Ridge Elementary. You'll also notice that three parcels would be rezoned to Three-Chucked Elementary.

[00:04:05] However, no students currently live on those parcels. Carver Elementary. A small adjustment would move one neighborhood, Patterson West, and adjacent undeveloped properties from Mayberry to Carver, which is closer to this neighborhood.

[00:04:23] The result is approximately nine students changing schools with no significant impact on functional capacity at either school. Cuyacafin Middle School. When the new building opens in 2027, some neighborhoods would shift between Cuyacusin, Tuckahoe, and Pocahontas to improve feeder patterns and balance enrollment.

[00:04:49] This is one of the more complicated scenarios, so let's walk through it piece by piece. First, students at Cuyacusin who are zoned for Tucker, including Skipwith and Jackson Davis north of Three Chopped, would move out of Cuyacusin to Tuckahoe Middle.

[00:05:09] To balance capacity, students zoned for Mayberry Elementary School would wholly move from Tuckahoe Middle School into Cuyacusin Middle. Students living in the crossings at Short Palm, which is zoned for Colonial Trail, would move from Cuyacusin to Popohannes Middle School.

[00:05:30] And finally, all students zoned for Carver Elementary School would attend Cuyacusin. Cuyacusin Middle School is projected gain 201 students. Tuckahoe including an IBC reallocation would gain approximately 227 students and Pocahontas would decrease by 173 students. Feeder pattern adjustments allow Kuyakasen to divide evenly into Godinwood and Freeman instead of splitting between three high schools.

[00:06:03] Tuckahoe Middle School would divide evenly between Freeman and Tucker instead of a small slice being pulled off and tucker high school who currently freeds from five middle schools would have a majority of students come together from tuckahoe middle school hungry creek this scenario adjusts the feeder pattern for one neighborhood broad meadows from holman middle school to hungry creek approximately 76 students are moved in this plan school board vice chair madison irving will now

[00:06:41] walk us through the high school scenarios. In this scenario, the neighborhoods you see on the screen would shift from Freeman to Godwin High School to address overcrowding at Freeman. In total, Freeman is estimated to have a net reduction of 129 students, putting the school's functional capacity around 97%. Godwin would have an estimated net gain of 129 students, putting the school's functional capacity around 93%. These percentages are lowered daily when

[00:07:20] students leave the school to participate in ACE Center programs and it really is best understood is looking at these in day one day two because that's a more accurate reflection of school environments. Students from several neighborhoods would shift from Highland Springs or Hermitage to Henrico to make better use of space. You can see the neighborhoods listed on the screen. Between boundary adjustments and participation in the new cyber security specialty

[00:07:59] Center. Henrico High School would gain 405 students for the 26-27 school year. Highland Springs loses 67 students, and Hermitage is reduced by 171 students, which helps balance capacity at each school. This scenario is designated to bring capacity reliefs to J.R. Tucker High School, where we are right now, which had a functional capacity of 104% last school year. Several neighborhoods would shift to Hermitage and Godwin to balance

[00:08:35] enrollment and relieve crowding at Tucker. Again, you can see the neighborhoods listed on the screen. You will also have a chance to look at the maps up close during breakout sessions in a few minutes. In this scenario, Tucker High School would lose 299 students, reducing functional capacity to 89.4%.

[00:09:00] Hermitage High School would gain 280 students and Godwin would gain 19 students. I want to stress once again that these are preliminary ideas and nothing is set in stone. As Ms. Shea said at the beginning of the presentation tonight, we need to hear from you. In the small groups you will be seeking feedback related to the following questions: which scenarios make sense to keep exploring, which ones raise concerns, how should we think about timing of

[00:09:35] changes, especially for students in key transition years like 5th, 8th, 11th, and 12th grade. And what supports are needed for students should we proceed? Historically, when there's been a boundary adjustment, students in these grades have the option to remain at their current school. Should that continue, or are there other factors we need to consider? We are especially eager to hear to get your opinions on these topics. When you arrive, you receive a colored slip of paper. In just a minute, we are going to dismiss you to breakout sessions.

[00:10:11] Based on the color of your paper, you will be sorted into nearby classrooms. staff will be available outside of the auditorium to direct you there you will have a chance to look at posters of the maps and indicate which ones you support oppose or are neutral on you may also share comments and provide written responses to a series of questions and when you use the stickers that you have

[00:10:45] been given please just use one sticker per map just a request to make it easier to follow. You will also have the opportunity to let us know what other information or resources you need. Submit any questions you may have. This step is extremely valuable as we develop responses to frequently asked questions.

[00:11:07] It is likely that others may have the same or similar questions and we want to share that information with the entire community rather than one-on-one. We will post an FAQ on the HCPS website and share information through ParentSquare. We also encourage you to complete the online survey that was sent to families and staff earlier this week.

[00:11:33] Finally, we want to briefly review our anticipated timeline for action. The board will review all community feedback in October, refine options, if necessary, in November, with the goal of making decisions in December.

[00:11:52] Thank you again for coming out and being a part of this important conversation. School board members will be available in the school commons and foyer after breakout sessions, which should conclude around 8.30. We will need to clear the building by 9 p.m. to allow staff to reset classrooms and clean the building for school tomorrow.

[00:12:15] At this time, we will dismiss you to the breakout sessions, and thank you so much for being here.

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