The Education and Human Services (EHS) Standing Committee of the Richmond City Council met on July 9, 2026, at 2:45 PM EDT. The committee heard a significant update from Richmond Public Schools (RPS) on a $9 million budget deficit stemming from the final state budget, considered a resolution to place a 1% local sales tax for school construction on the November ballot, and approved a major overhaul of the city's grant-making process. Additional items included board vacancies, a DCAO update, and scheduling decisions.
Oh, I think that's it. All right, Madam Clerk. I believe we have quorum. Go ahead and read the chamber emergency evacuation plan announcement public speaker guidelines. Thank you. Upon activation of the emergency alarm signal, all persons should immediately exit the building. Please use the exits to the left or right front of the council chamber or the north or south stale whales outside the rear doors of the chamber. Do not use elevators or escalators after exiting the building. Security would direct everyone down 9th Street to the fenced area located between Clay and Lee Street. Able persons should assist visually and hearing a pair of visitors with exiting the building. Public speaker guidelines. Individuals wishing to speak during public hearings in the public comment period are generally allowed three minutes to speak. Persons appearing before the committee are not allowed to campaign for public office. Promote private business ventures, use language of a personal nature which insults or demeans any person, including comments directed at public officials or staff members that are not related to the official duties or address the question staff members directly. All questions are to be directed to the committee chair. Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in speakers forfeiting any remaining time and further disciplinary action as necessary, which can include barring from attendance at future meetings of the committee for a period of six months. And madam chair, all members of the committee are in attendance today with the exception of Ms. Jones, and you do have a quorum. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Are there any members present to speak for public comment? Public comment is now open. Is there anyone present who wishes to address this committee regarding items not on today's agenda? Madam Chair, seeing none and no one signed up to speak virtually before the 10 a.m. deadline. The public comment period is now closed and back to the committee. Madam Clerk, I see Mr. Strauss is raising his hand at the back of the. Are you here to let me take a wild guess? Are you here to speak in uh for the um we've got two on the agenda the sales tax uh resolution to put the on for the referendum and the um uh and the non-departmental grant. If you are here to to speak on items that are not on that agenda, please come for any member. Please come forward. If if you are here to speak on any of those agenda items that are listed, then we will hold your comment until okay. Um all right, madam clerk. We are gonna revise uh the if it's if it pleases the committee. I'm going to um revise the agenda ever so slightly to allow um for our uh superintendent to provide his update first. I think that's important. One we get him uh we can kind of knock out all of the RPS items in one shot, so you do not have to um stay on uh with us in your time is very important. Um we have our school board chair. Welcome. Uh thank you so much for being here. Um thought it would be helpful for you to give and provide your update to us um and and help us set the stage, and then we'll go right into uh the the uh the ordinance here. So um that's before us. So without further ado, superintendent cameras. If you're able to come and provide your regularly scheduled series of RPS updates, we'd love to have you join us. And I know you're sick, so thank you. Extra credit for I know you're a little under the weather, so extra credit for being here with us today. We appreciate you. Thank you, Madam Chair, and members of the committee. Um I will jump right in. Obviously, the most pressing matter that RPS is facing at the moment is the impact of the final state budget on our budget.