What was once a yard overrun with tall weeds and grass at John Marshall High School is now transformed with a new metal wall, clear glass windows and a courtyard for students to lunch and learn.

 The reconstructed courtyard wall at John Marshall High School features new metal siding and windows, part of a project to address asbestos and other structural issues.
 

Richmond Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Dana Fox said she remains enthusiastic about the completed wall at John Marshall High School, but she highlighted the need for more funding to renovate additional RPS facilities, which are an average of 62 years old, during a press conference and tour Monday afternoon.

“In the next 18 months …there’s over $40 million of immediate needs,” Fox said. “We need to do something right now and this is something that cannot wait past its life expectancy.”

The $40 million estimate comes from a 2024 spring and summer building assessment of each facility. Necessary renovations include electrical repairs, door and window replacements and improved accessibility for students with special needs.

However, existing projects are already underway such as roof replacements, which cost around $10 million and more HVAC upgrades, which were funded through a $15.3 million HVAC federal grant in August.

“While I’m very excited to have these reports for us to really make a plan and a path forward, it’s also a stark reality that we face in terms of funding for our school, what we’re able to do and not do as a school division,” Fox said.

The courtyard wall began construction in May and was completed in October and cost nearly $3 million. The new wall features horizontal-ribbed metal panels that replaced the original brickwork. Fixed-pane windows replaced the casement windows commonly found in RPS schools.

“We feel like the work that we have done over the summer, this wall renovation that had to be done is us showing [students] that we believe in who they are and their future,” said Monica Murray, principal of John Marshall High School. “It was a lot of work and team effort, and our students are to be commended because they had to really sacrifice some parts of the building while the work was being done.”

In addition to the courtyard wall, there was an extensive renovation of the courtyard’s corridor. Its interior walls needed to be temporarily removed to accommodate large equipment for the courtyard’s wall brick removal. However, Fox said that the corridor’s windows will still need to be replaced with newer windows, which will require additional funding.

“It’s going to be really fun for me to dive into the work,” Fox said with a touch of sarcasm. “So, that’s what we’re looking at and how to prioritize where things could just have a renovation or where it’s more feasible for us just to build a new building.”