‘I’m frustrated’: Parents confront Kamras over mold at Barack Obama Elementary
In front of a group of nearly 100 attendees, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras presented parents with two options Monday evening – pausing school for students until mold remediation is complete at Barack Obama Elementary School or temporarily moving students into Clark Springs Elementary School.
“I am not pushing one way or the other,” he said. “I truly, authentically want to hear from you all about the direction you feel most comfortable with, and then I will push to make that happen.”
But before anyone could come to a decision, parents immediately voiced their frustration and concerns with Kamras over the mold and rodents at the Northside school and questioned whether the administration and contractors were truly doing everything to get students through school doors soon.
“You say we’re doing everything that we can. No, you’re mandating it. You’re doing everything you can within minimal effort to get the good numbers to get the doors open,” said Desarae Wisnoski, a mother of a student at the elementary school, sharply speaking to Kamras.
“I’m frustrated, as a parent, as a member of this community.”
Ultimately, Kamras said the school will not immediately move to Clark Springs, while officials continue to monitor the situation.
The town hall was scheduled last minute Monday afternoon after parents, staff and school leaders discovered surface mold on laptops and music equipment in the auditorium located on the second floor of the building. School officials initially said that air quality test results revealed that mold levels were only high in the art room which is in the building’s basement.
Victoria A. Ifatusin
The discovery led to officials announcing that the school would be closed, targeting Monday as the open date. That target date is now likely going to be next Wednesday, as testing at the school would be conducted on Saturday after a week of remediation. If results are negative and parents wanted to stay at Barack Obama Elementary, teachers would use Monday and Tuesday to set up classrooms.
Patrick Herrel, chief operating officer for the division, told parents that the increased amount of rain this past summer helped in making the over 100-year-old building more humid, in addition to the faulty HVAC system, leading to mold growth. The building currently has 10 dehumidifiers operating in the school.
But Clark Springs isn’t in a great position either. It has been used as a holding space for students in times of emergencies, like when William Fox Elementary students temporarily moved into the school following Fox Elementary’s fire in 2022. But the school, located about 3 miles away from Barack Obama Elementary in Randolph, has its own HVAC issues, and Kamras said there hasn’t been enough money in the budget to fix any of its issues, along with all issues at other schools.
Victoria A. Ifatusin
Moving there would cost more money and be strenuous for teachers to set up classrooms just to move back to Barack Obama two weeks later, Kamras said.
In an attempt to provide context, Kamras told the crowd that RPS usually allocates $2.5 million of its approximately $550 million budget annually for school maintenance repairs. Replacing a HVAC system could cost $1.5 million, leaving little behind for other repairs.
This year, the division is receiving $10 million for school upgrades from the city budget, but future maintenance funding will be lowered as a result.
“So we are forced to make these very, very tough trade-off decisions,” he said. “I don’t say that in any way to share responsibility, I just want you to know the reality.”
Victoria A. Ifatusin
But explanations from the administration did not quench parents’ anger, who clearly assigned blame for the delay and mold to the administration.
“What I feel like you are trying to coerce us towards is getting back into Obama as fast as possible with no resources, with all of the supplies that had to be trashed,” said Allyson Banks, a parent of a student at the school. “I feel like everything was just completely glossed over.”
At one point, Samieh Shalash, a school parent, asked Kamras what the student experience would be if they were to go back to Barack Obama Elementary.
“I think the experience at Obama would be a basic one,” he responded, prompting scoffs from some parents in the audience. “I’m being honest with you. I can’t promise that we’re gonna have all the instruments next week. I can't promise you that we're gonna have all the Chromebooks next week. We'll do everything we can to expedite, but I'm not gonna promise that. And so that's why I say basic.”
Elected officials for the 3rd District were also present at the meeting. City Councilor Kenya Gibson told the audience that when she served on the School Board, she introduced a resolution acknowledging that there was mold in schools.
“We were talking about mold, we’re talking about mold again and again in Richmond Public Schools,” she said, adding that the issue highlights the need for school construction funding.
Graham Moomaw
When asked, teachers leaned toward staying in the school, as they shared that moving to another location and setting up classes would be an uphill task. Carolyn Canty, a fifth-grade teacher at the school, said she felt fine being in the building Monday morning.
“Parents, rest assured, we got your babies, and we are going to take good care of your babies, one way or the other,” she said.
Without reaching full consensus, Kamras ultimately decided to keep the school as the learning center for students, while keeping it closed for remediation until test results are negative. Even after students come back, he committed to conducting monthly testing of the air quality in the school.
Parents can expect to see updates about the efforts through ParentSquare and on the school’s website twice a day at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org
