Thank you, President Newbille, and good afternoon, everybody.  

I’m really glad you all have gathered today for this.  

Since taking office, I have talked a lot about building a thriving Richmond. And part of the vision for a thriving Richmond is one where our children learn in great schools, where families can afford to stay in their neighborhoods, where businesses choose to invest, and where opportunity reaches every neighborhood.  

These are the pillars that guide my administration and that guide the decisions that we make every day.  

And so today, I want to share a plan that advances two of those pillars at the same time: helping our children thrive by investing in modern schools while also easing the tax burden where we reasonably can. 

Too many of our students spend their school days in buildings that are worn down and that have persistent problems due to decades of deferred maintenance. Ten of the school buildings in our City are more than a century old.  

A century ago, Calvin Coolidge was the President of the United States and Americans were still sending hundreds of millions of telegrams.  

Many of the buildings that we have today served generations of students, but we all know that they weren't built for the needs of students today.  

An assessment that was completed by Richmond public schools back in 2024 documented persistent problems with roofing with HVAC systems. There is general wear and tear in school after school.  

Just two months ago, a faulty HVAC system at the old George Wythe High School building led to uh flooding in that school. Ask any RPS teacher or student or parent and they will tell you that our schools are full of amazing people of talent, hard work, and dedication, but the facilities don't always measure up.  

Without a faster path forward, another generation of children will spend most of their educational years in facilities that simply don't meet the standard that we aspire to. 

But now, thanks to Governor Spanberger the Virginia General Assembly and the support of so many of you that are here today, we have a rare and unique opportunity to rapidly accelerate the work of building better schools for more children: a dedicated 1% local sales tax for school construction to create a steady funding source expected to generate nearly $47 million every year.  

And over time, that revenue can finance as much as $850 million of school construction by the year 2034.  

That helps us break the cycle of asking generation after generation of students to learn in aging and outdated facilities.  

Instead, it allows us to give Richmond's kids the best learning environment that they could possibly have.  

A consistent revenue stream also frees up general fund dollars to meet other major infrastructure needs like water, public housing redevelopment, investments in safer streets, upgrades to our courthouse, and so many other areas of deferred maintenance that we are trying to address simultaneously.  

I want to be extremely clear that if this is approved by voters, it will allow us to build schools sooner instead of asking another generation of students to wait. And I firmly believe that Richmond's voters do not want our students to wait. 

I want to thank the Richmond City Council and RPS School Board for the work that they've already done to get us here. City Council introduced a resolution expressing your support for the 1% local option sales tax; thank you all so much for doing that. And, the RPS School Board unanimously endorsed adding this referendum to the ballot this November. Thank you, school board.  

When council meets on Monday, July 27th, I'm strongly encouraging them to advance the resolution so that Richmond voters can decide on this coming November. 

While voters consider this long-term investment, we also know that we have work that we've got to do to support schools today. And to that end, I will be submitting a budget amendment to appropriate $4.78 million of the city's lodging tax rebate to help close the school budget gap that they announced earlier this month. This is a big move that we are making immediately for the benefit of our students. 

Now, of course, every new dollar should come with accountability. If we're asking Richmond residents to approve a new tax, even for something as important as schools, we want you to be confident that those dollars will be stewarded well and invested thoughtfully.  

That's why I'm also asking the school board, with the input and participation of our administration, of our city council, and of the public to develop a long-term facilities plan that leans on long range planning and robust public input. That long-term facilities plan has to prioritize the right projects, consider multiple funding sources, and maximize every dollar. 

Building a thriving Richmond means thinking beyond the challenge that is immediately in front of us. Everywhere I go, I hear the same things from Richmonders: that they're feeling the strain of higher costs. Families are watching every dollar. Restaurants are turning to social media to try to stay afloat. Homeowners are struggling with a competitive market and higher tax assessments.  

If we're asking Richmonders to approve a new tax, then we should also look for every opportunity to pair that with a reduced tax somewhere else.  

That's why if voters approve a referendum in November, I will introduce legislation to reduce our meals tax by 1 percentage point from 7.5% to 6.5%. Our local restaurant scene is a huge part of what makes Richmond so special, and we are so grateful for them. Since 2018, those restaurants and their customers have been helping build schools. I'm proposing this 1% reduction in the meals tax so that we don't add even more to the burden that our incredible restaurant community has shouldered. 

In addition, I will commit to presenting a budget in March that is built on lowering our real estate tax by one cent from its current $1.20 to $1.19. The City of Richmond has not lowered its real estate tax in Richmond since 2008.  

I know that it's only a small reduction, but it moves us in the right direction to show fiscal discipline, long-term planning, and returning money to the taxpayer. 

Now, I want to take a few moments to just dig into what this plan actually accomplishes. If it's approved, the local option sales tax generates approximately $47.5 million a year beginning in FY28. That means a total of $850 million would be available for school capital projects between 2028 and 2034.  

Now we compare that to under our current plan which is about $450 million over the next few years. That current plan includes four different phases. Phases One and Two that we have already borrowed on and that are primarily supported by our meals tax. Phases Three and Four that account for that $450 million and are entirely dependent on future General Fund revenues.  

This new plan opens the door to almost twice as much funding, $850 million, during the same time frame without having to rely on the General Fund. The new sales tax, if approved, would enhance -- not replace -- the City's existing commitment to schools, it lowers the real estate tax, which is paid solely by Richmonders, and leverages a dedicated funding source that is paid for in significant part by non-residents. 

This plan reflects the kind of city that we're trying to build.  

• It makes us possible for us to make massive investments in our children while preserving services to our community. 
• It asks more people to share in building Richmond's future. It builds schools sooner and it gives us a more sustainable way to pay for them, and  
• It lowers taxes where we can. 

It protects our ability to invest in other priority areas that residents care about. It pairs opportunity with accountability. That's how we build a thriving Richmond.  

If our residents endorse this plan in November, that is exactly what we will deliver together. 

Thank you so much. I want to next introduce the Chair of the RPS School Coard, Chair Fernandez, and RPS Superintendent, Jason Kamras.