Community members press for transparency on ELC pilot; resident files FOIA request for program documents

Several community speakers at the July 9 business meeting urged greater transparency and accountability for the Equity and Excellence Learning Centers (ELC) pilot and said the program lacks clear needs assessments, enrollment and outcome metrics.
Keenan Baskerville, who attended the ELC retreat presentations, said the ELC report lacked sufficient sample sizes and transparent meeting minutes and called for committees, needs assessments and clearer outcome measures before further expansion. "There was insufficient data collection with only 94 total survey responses across 4 schools," Baskerville said.
Community organizer Elise McMath (New Virginia Majority, Norfolk chapter) and others said after‑school and wraparound services must be community‑driven and accessible, citing Jaycox families’ stated need for before‑ and after‑care. McMath said the ELC pilot’s funding and implementation should be transparent and tied to measurable outcomes such as enrollment, absenteeism and academic or behavioral changes.
Carl Poole formally submitted a Virginia Freedom of Information Act request on the record seeking policies, program descriptions, MOUs or partnership agreements, evaluation tools and internal task‑force documents from July 2024 to the present. Poole asked for electronic documents only and requested a cost estimate before any fees are charged.
Board members and staff did not take immediate action on the FOIA request, which is a public records filing; staff acknowledged the need for clearer public updates and said the ELCs would be the subject of continued conversation and, in some cases, additional oversight options such as community advisory committees.
The public comments and the FOIA filing signal community demand for more detailed, publicly available documentation of ELC goals, partner roles, funding use and outcome metrics as the pilot continues.