Property Assessment Increases and Reading Proficiency for English Learners
Cheers RVA!
Today will be partly sunny with a high of 82 and a low of 60.
the juice:
The Richmond City Council’s Organizational Development Committee voted to move forward with a $5.8 million payment to Marvin Grimm, a man falsely imprisoned for more than 40 years.
The funds will come from a special fund the city controls from the sale of properties long delinquent on real estate tax bills, a fund that had been identified for affordable housing projects.
the pulp:
In Tueday’s RPS Direct Newsletter, Superintendent Jason Kamras noted recent gains from the Standards of Learnings tests over the past two years:
Kamras also emphasized proficiency in reading for English Learners as compared to the surrounding counties:
Joe Woloszyn and Dana Lawhorne offer an opinion for the RTD on the ubiquity of illegal skill games across Virginia. While Attorney General Jason Miyares gave a legal opinion on the machines last September, they continue to pop up all across the state. The main manufacturer is an out-of-state company Pace-O-Matic, which is also trying to penetrate the Pennsylvania market for slots. Woloszyn and Lawhorne write:
We’ve seen this playbook before. In Pennsylvania, it’s unfolding in real time. After two top lobbyists dropped Pace-O-Matic as a client, the company responded by accusing legislative leaders of blackmail. Their bullying campaign escalated to leaving targeted fliers at lawmakers’ private homes and spreading blatant lies through coordinated canvassing. This isn’t advocacy — it’s intimidation, and it’s how they operate when states push back.
the dive:
Michael Phillips from the Richmonder dives into the release of property assessment values in the city, with the average property seeing a 5.74% increase in value.
Phillips writes:
Highland Park, in Richmond's North Side, saw assessments rise faster than any other spot in the city. The area has seen a surge in construction, but much of it is affordable housing.
Fulton, behind Rocketts Landing in the East End, saw assessments increase by an average of 11.8%.
Home values rose by 12.5% in the voting precinct encompassing Mary Munford Elementary.
The Southside neighborhoods bordering Highway 1 and Commerce Road saw a double-digit spike as well, with values increasing an average of 10.6%.
View a map of the increases by neighborhood and read the full article here.
the vibe:
Have a bullish day RVA!
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