RECENT COMMENTS

City officials decry call to unfreeze the local composite index

With the city facing an the loss of $9 million in state funding, City Council President Graziano, Mayor Jones, School Board Chair Bridges, and School Superintendent Dr.Brandon today issued a statement against Gov. McDonnell’s recommendation to “unfreeze” the local composite index in the state budget:

For the city of Richmond, the calculation of the Local Composite Index has been a point of contention for many years. The formula measures the ability of a locality to pay for education, but it does not take into account the needs of the students, nor does it take into account the other demands for services in the jurisdiction (like health, social services, law enforcement, road maintenance, etc.). While the measure has been flawed for decades, this newest revision is especially problematic, as it judges Richmond to be the most affluent jurisdiction in the area.

“This funding formula is fundamentally flawed and needs to be changed,” said School Board Chair Kim Bridges. “The needs of the school system for our gifted students, general education, and specialty students are great. In addition to the ‘normal’ demands of school systems, we must provide adequate, appropriate services for about 800 students with limited English proficiency, almost 4,600 special education students, and the routine needs of 15,146 students who are eligible for the federal free lunch program. We are an urban school division with the strengths and problems that come with that character. We implore the legislature to help our children.”

One out of four Richmond residents lives in poverty, more than 70% of Richmond Public Schools students are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program, and the poverty rate is expected to continue to increase due to the economic climate and high unemployment rates. “Any thinking person with even the most marginal information would know that Richmond is not the most affluent jurisdiction in the area. This clearly demonstrates the inherent problems with the composite index,” said Mayor Jones.

The City of Richmond, Henrico County, Chesterfield County, Hanover County, and Powhatan County all stand to be negatively impacted if the index is unfrozen:

Richmond would lose another $9 million state revenue and Chesterfield would lose an additional $4 million in state funds. Hanover County would lose $900,000 in state funding, while Henrico County would lose $450,000.