It is stated that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” When it comes to public schools on the eastern end of Prince William County, maybe it’s time for a few more wheels to squeak louder.

Last week during the April 20^th school board meeting Padreus Pratter parent, education advocate and member of the county’s Human Rights Commission, addressed the board regarding the Capital Improvements Program, which is designed to address new school construction projects and upgrade existing school facilities.

“I think Capital Improvements are good if they’re working for the benefit of the schools, but what if they don’t?” asked Pratter. He referenced two awards granted to schools on the western side of the county totaling 25 million dollars respectively as recent projects that what piqued his interest to delve deeper into the program.

Currently, there is a school on the eastern side of the county, Rippon Middle School, that is in need of an updated air HVAC system. While they wait for their scheduled funding to cover the upgrades, teachers who often come out of their own pockets to purchase classroom supplies have been purchasing fans. The school administration has also used general school funds to purchase fans to augment the outdated system, yet the school is not on the schedule for a new HVAC only roof repairs.

The schools on the Eastern side of the county are on average 43 years old, and many like this school are in desperate need of upgrades and improvements now. 

What happens when the improvement schedule does not meet the immediate needs of schools? Stop gap methods such as purchasing fans are no way to support our schools. It is well known that outdated building systems can create challenging environments for student learning and success and can have negative consequences for student health and wellbeing, areas of major focus as schools continue to navigate the pandemic. For older schools these potential impacts can be even more dire. It’s hard to concentrate when your focus turns to your physical comfort and not the words and numbers in front of you.

This issue is not unique to Prince William County Schools (PWCS), other older schools have been told they have to wait to receive infrastructure assistance. Just recently, in Dekalb County Georgia, the school board voted down a measure to repair a near 100-year old facility. This happened despite Druid Hills High School students themselves creating a viral video showing the decimated conditions in which they are forced to learn.

It goes deeper than just repairs to leaky bathrooms or in the case of Graham Park Middle School, a much-needed roof repair that is long overdue. Parents often cite the quality of schools as a primary reason why they move into an area, If Prince William County wants to be on par with neighboring counties such as Fairfax and Loudoun, schools not only need to be modernized they must also be renovated in order to support technical and STEM programs across all schools.

While the Capital Improvements Program is a step in the right direction, it can also leave those schools in need of immediate assistance asking, “Are we once again left to our own devices?”

A follow up with Pratter noted “This issue goes beyond PWCS Capital Improvement Plan it becomes a question of while Virginia has the capacity to provide additional assistance to improve its school’s infrastructure issue, does Virginia have the will to fix our aging schools.