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Facilities Modernization Plan

Facilities Modernization Plan

a teacher and a student participate in an activity in an old classroom

Planning for the Future of Our School Buildings

 

Richmond Public Schools is developing a long-range Facilities Modernization Plan to guide investments in our school buildings over the coming years.

The plan is being developed in two phases. Phase I will assess the condition and needs of our schools and establish a prioritized list of investments. Phase II will translate those priorities into specific projects and determine how and when those projects can move forward.

The process combines independent building-condition data with enrollment and building-use trends, information about student populations, and input from families, staff, and the community. The resulting priorities will be presented to the RPS School Board for adoption.

 

What Does "Modernization" Mean?

Modernization means bringing school buildings up to the standards our students and staff deserve. It goes beyond fixing individual problems to address the underlying condition and long-term needs of a building.

Depending on the school, modernization could include:

  • Major systems replacement: HVAC, roofs, electrical systems, plumbing, and other major building systems
  • Renovation: Reworking classrooms, shared spaces, offices, athletic facilities, and other parts of an existing building
  • Replacement: Constructing a new school building, including on the existing site when appropriate
  • Rezoning or consolidation: Redrawing school attendance boundaries or combining multiple zones into a newly modernized campus

A teacher gestures while speaking to students seated at desks in a classroom.

Accessibility View of Full-Page Calendar

Community Engagement

Community input is an important part of the modernization planning process. Community Engagement Sessions will be held in each RPS district during September and October 2026.

View Full Calendar

Review the School Information Cards

Explore high-level information about each school, including building condition, enrollment trends, and concentration of student need. 

Why Are There So Many Facility Needs?

Age

RPS school buildings span generations, with many now decades old. Building systems have finite lifespans, and many are beyond their recommended service lives.

Deferred Maintenance

When available capital funding does not meet identified needs, necessary work may be postponed. Deferred work does not disappear; it can accumulate and become more expensive over time.

A History of Disinvestment

Past patterns of investment have also contributed to differences in building conditions and facility needs across the division.

The average age of RPS schools is …

62 years


And about a quarter of our schools are more than 100 years old!

A list of decades from 1910-19 to 2020, with corresponding symbols.

21%

Eleven RPS schools were build over 100 years ago.

69%

Thirty six buildings were built more than 50 years ago.

17%

Nine schools were built in the last 15 years.

Our Maintenance Needs are Huge

Estimated Cost of Facilities Needs by Year, Per 2024 Facilities Condition Assessments, Compared to CIP Capital Maintenance Budget

 

Bar chart showing estimated costs of facilities needs and CIP capital maintenance budgets from 2024 to 2031.

$680M

in basic maintenance needs between 2024-2044 identified by the Facility Condition Assessment.

$0

of the $680M in estimated costs includes any cost of building new schools.

$2.5M

per year is what RPS typically receives despite staggering annual needs for routine repairs and building maintenance.

Two Phases of Planning

Phase I: Assess and Prioritize

RPS will bring together building-condition, enrollment, and student data; engage families, staff, and the community; and develop a prioritized list of schools for consideration by the School Board.

Phase II: Translate Priorities Into Projects

Once priorities are established, RPS will determine the appropriate approach for high-priority schools, which could include rebuilding, renovation, replacement, rezoning, or other strategies. This phase will also address project scope, cost estimates, potential funding sources, and scheduling.

How Priorities Are Determined

RPS is considering three major components when evaluating schools:

Building Condition
This includes the five- and 10-year Facility Condition Index from the Facility Condition Assessment, as well as HVAC work order history.

Enrollment Trends
This considers how fully a building is being used, enrollment trends, and proximity to new residential development.

Concentration of Student Need
This considers the share of students who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and multilingual learners.

Each component produces a rating of High, Medium, or Low need. Considering all three helps ensure that schools are evaluated based on more than the physical condition of the building alone.

Community and stakeholder input will also help inform how these factors are applied during Phase I.

A teacher guides a young student at a desk in a classroom.

Students focus on their work at desks in a classroom with an orange wall.

Modernization and Routine Maintenance

Modernization and maintenance are separate but complementary.

RPS's operating budget supports day-to-day maintenance and repairs at every school. That work will continue regardless of where a school falls on the modernization priority list.

Modernization represents a larger, long-term capital investment in a building and does not replace routine maintenance.

A school that is not among the first group prioritized for modernization will continue to receive needed maintenance and upgrades through RPS's ongoing Capital Improvement Program.

Understanding Our Facilities Data

RPS contracted with Bureau Veritas, an independent assessment firm, to conduct Facility Condition Assessments of 52 facilities in 2024. Assessors visited each building and evaluated major systems, including roofs, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, structural elements, interiors, and exterior sites. RPS did not conduct or grade its own assessments.

The assessments produced a Facility Condition Index (FCI) for each school. The FCI compares the estimated cost of a building's identified needs with the estimated cost of replacing the building. A higher FCI indicates that a building's needs are greater relative to its overall replacement value.

View Facility Condition Assessment data for individual schools →

The full assessment reports are also available on the RPS website.

Because building conditions change as systems age and improvements are completed, RPS plans to update facility-condition information as significant upgrades or replacements occur.

If the 1% sales tax is approved, it is estimated that RPS could see vastly greater revenue for school modernization and construction over the next 20 years. All told, it would likely come to…

$850 million 

The 1% sales tax would not apply to groceries, medicine, and personal hygiene products.