Henrico School Board to consider $21.5 million Johnson Elementary renovation contract, playground projects Oct. 8

The Henrico School Board is expected to consider awarding a $21.5 million construction contract for the renovation of Johnson Elementary School during a work session Oct. 8, while also reviewing the school division's newly released state accountability results and considering nearly $724,000 in playground replacements at two elementary schools.

The items are among those on the agenda for the board's meeting, which will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the New Bridge Learning Center, 5915 Nine Mile Road.

$21.5 million Johnson Elementary renovation contract

School officials are recommending that the board award a $21,502,851 construction contract to The Trent Corporation for the renovation of Johnson Elementary School.

The renovation is one of the projects funded through Henrico's 2022 bond referendum, which allocated $26.5 million overall for the Johnson project. The proposed $21.5-million contract covers the construction bid and two additive alternatives and does not represent the project's entire budget.

The project will involve a phased renovation while the school remains occupied.

Six companies submitted bids that were opened Oct. 1. The Trent Corporation, a Henrico company, submitted the lowest base bid at $20,395,851. With two additive alternatives totaling another $1.107 million, its recommended contract price is $21,502,851.

The other base bids ranged from about $20.5 million to $23.9 million.

The board also is being asked to authorize Superintendent Amy Cashwell to execute change orders within the scope of the existing project budget, with those change orders capped at 15% of the original contract amount. The authorization would not increase the project's overall approved budget.

More than $723,000 proposed for two elementary school playgrounds

The board also will consider spending a combined $723,873.69 to replace playground equipment at Ridge and Adams elementary schools.

HCPS is recommending approval of a proposal totaling just more than $372,000 from Bliss Products and Services, Inc. for the Ridge Elementary project and a proposal of just more than $351,00 from the same company for the Adams Elementary project.

The School Board awarded Bliss an annual contract for playground equipment, outdoor fitness equipment and related products and services in April 2023.

Board to hear update on new state accountability system

School officials also will brief board members about Henrico's results under the Virginia Department of Education's new School Performance and Support Framework.

The presentation comes following the state's recent release of its 2025-26 school accountability results and is expected to provide an overview of the new framework and Henrico schools' performance metrics.

Henrico County Public Schools announced Wednesday that all of its schools earned full state accreditation for 2025-26, up from 96% the previous year, when three schools were accredited with conditions.

The division also reported that 28 schools received the state's highest performance designation, "Distinguished," nearly three times the 10 that received that designation a year earlier.

The new performance framework provides a more detailed picture than accreditation status alone, however, by assigning schools performance categories based on academic achievement, growth and other measures. Accreditation and performance classifications measure different things, meaning that a school can be fully accredited without necessarily earning the state's highest performance rating.

Fiscal policies undergoing review

Board members also will conduct their first review of a large group of fiscal and business policies, although most of the proposed changes are relatively limited and none of those policies is scheduled for final approval Thursday.

Instead, staff is recommending that the board approve the policies at its Nov. 12 monthly meeting.

Among the more substantive proposed changes is a revision to the division's policy governing transfers of appropriated funds. The proposed language would establish a $50,000 threshold for transfers to or from personnel expense categories and transfers between divisions and departments that require superintendent approval.

Transfers between the school division's major funds – General, Special, Debt Service and Capital Improvements – would continue to require School Board approval.

Community-schools grant would support 43 schools

The board also will consider accepting a $134,750 Deepening Community Schools grant from the Virginia Department of Education.

According to HCPS, 43 schools that were brought into the initiative during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years would continue receiving financial support and technical assistance during the current school year.

Schools identified for "Community School Designation" also would receive additional professional learning and technical assistance, while some of the funding would support HCPS Family and Community Engagement staff and divisionwide community-engagement efforts.

Modular classrooms planned at Seven Pines, Glen Lea

The board is being asked to approve right-of-way agreements with Dominion Energy to provide new utility service for temporary modular classroom units at Seven Pines and Glen Lea elementary schools.

The agreements would allow Dominion to install the utility infrastructure necessary to serve the modular classrooms.

School activity funds receive clean audit

Also on the consent agenda is acceptance of the annual audit of school activity funds for the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Cherry Bekaert conducted the audit during the summer and issued an unmodified, or clean, audit opinion, meaning that auditors concluded that the financial statements fairly presented, in all material respects, the receipts, disbursements, transfers and balances of the school activity funds.

The audit was presented to the county's Audit Committee Sept. 18. Henrico County's broader fiscal year 2026 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report has not yet been finalized and is scheduled to be presented to the Henrico Board of Supervisors Dec. 1.

Unlike the board's monthly meetings, the work-session agenda provides for written public comments only. Comments were required to be submitted by noon Wednesday, Oct. 7, to become part of the meeting record.