NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — There's $500 million on the table to upgrade schools in Newport News.
Thursday night, Newport News parents, teachers and community members came together to talk about how they wanted to spend that money. It’s part of the public school division’s long-term facilities plan.
"It's really, really critical in terms of identifying priorities and timeline," said Rob Wilson with Cooperative Strategies.
Many of the Newport News schools were built in the 1960s and Superintendent Dr. George Parker said some upgrades are overdue for their aging facilities.
"We need to be more purposeful in the space that we have and then also create new additions for projected growth," he said.
The school division has partnered with Cooperative Strategies to figure out how and when to spend the money.
So far, they said they’ve identified four key themes: maintenance, preparation for the future, modernization and permanence.
Now, Dr. Parker said it’s vital to get the community involved.
Paul Danahey, a parent and former robotics teacher in Newport News, said along with overdue maintenance on buildings, he would like to see security improvements and an emphasis on things like STEM labs.
"Schools have been underfunded, especially for capital improvement, and this is one way to try to bring people together and get ideas about things that could really improve the experience for the children," Danahey said.
This was the second of their two public forums to get the community’s input for the five to 10-year plan.
"We want to make Newport News a great place to live -- an even better place than it already is," said Danahey.
The next steps will be to publish a seven-question survey for the entire community to take part in and identify what they would like to see.
That survey will go out on Friday and the community has 10 days to fill it out.
Dr. Parker is asking everyone to get involved.
"Please fill out the survey if you value our school division and our kids, and you want your voice to be heard. This is a great opportunity for us to work together for the future of Newport News Public Schools," Dr. Parker said.
The committee will shape a recommendation based on community and elected officials' feedback to present to the school board on June 21.
To fill out the survey, click here.