Goldman, a self-identified skeptic of the project, said at a news conference Thursday that he began gathering signatures seeking the charter change last year. He said he worked with a team of roughly 50 people to gather about 14,400 signatures — well over the roughly 10,340 it would need to appear on the ballot.

Joining Goldman at the news conference was Elizabeth Charity, who said she helped gather signatures because she was appalled at the state of the city’s school buildings. Goldman declined to answer questions about whether the people who helped him canvass were paid for their efforts, and, if they were, whether he paid them personally.

The proposed change would also prohibit the city from raising the meals tax rate for at least five years. After that, city leaders could increase the rate only if a majority of voters supported doing so. Stoney proposed, and the council approved, increasing the meals tax rate from 6% to 7.5% in 2018 to fund $150 million in borrowing to build three new schools. Construction on all three buildings is underway.

This isn’t Goldman’s first bid to amend the charter by way of petition drive. In 2017, he canvassed with the Richmond Crusade for Voters for a referendum requiring Stoney to present the council with a plan to fully fund the modernization of city schools or admit it couldn’t be done. Voters supported it overwhelmingly. Stoney complied last December, and the council signed off on the nonbinding plan earlier this year.