Author: Catie Ratliff

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Working it out

UCW UVA member Olivia Paschal has been working on the Cut the Checks campaign since January 2023. Supplied photo.

The local chapter of United Campus Workers of Virginia met with University of Virginia President Jim Ryan and other leaders on April 4 to discuss issues related to graduate student wages. The meeting was prompted by the union’s attendance at the March 1 Board of Visitors meeting.

Delegations from both UCW UVA and the university sat down at 1:30pm in Madison Hall.

Prior to the meeting’s start, negotiations were already underway over the meeting agenda, according to UCW UVA.

On April 2, organizer Olivia Paschal says she sent university representatives a proposed agenda, which allotted time for introductions, a presentation from the union, questions, potential solutions, and discussion. In an email shared with C-VILLE by UCW UVA, a representative of Ryan and Provost Ian Baucom sent a resequenced agenda at 11:35am on April 4—two hours before the meeting start time—which substantially reduced the union’s presentation time and discussion time in favor of a presentation on progress made by the university. Further, the email stated that the room would be used for another event at 2:30pm, and the meeting needed to adjourn by 2:25pm.

UCW UVA responded with a compromise agenda at 12:02pm, giving time for both delegations’ presentations and discussion time.

During the meeting, attendees reviewed progress made on stipend task-force recommendations by the university, and examples of graduate student workers’ concerns with ongoing payment issues. University officials did not agree to all of the proposed solutions from UCW UVA, but did agree to hold a follow-up meeting with the union.

“We’re disappointed that administrators failed to commit to solving late payments in our meeting,” the union posted on Instagram. The group emphasized the need for raising wages and benefits for Graduate School of Arts and Sciences departmental employees, and said late payment fees should be instituted.

After the meeting, UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover shared meeting notes with C-VILLE, saying the newspaper had previously written about “concerns related to the timely delivery of graduate student aid.” According to Glover, GSAS has processed graduate student payment with a 99.7 percent accuracy in the last year. “The 99.7% accuracy rate that we shared factors in all delivery errors in stipend and wage payments, including incorrect values, delivery delays, student errors such as incorrectly reported account/personal information, and more,” she wrote in an email.

But organizers with UCW UVA claim different accuracy estimates were provided by the university during the meeting. According to a quote from the meeting shared by Paschal in an email, attendees were told by a university official that “our estimation is that about 98% of students are experiencing no problems at all in GSAS. In terms of individual payments, that number is about 99.8%.”

Additionally, an organizer with the union argued that the characterization of graduate student wages as “aid” was misleading. “Some of the issues have been wage issues,” said union member Lucas Martínez. “When you run a business … you [don’t] call what you pay your workers aid.”

While UCW UVA acknowledges the progress made since issues with payments to graduate workers arose in December of 2022, members say current solutions to payment issues are not sustainable and require additional labor from the graduate student worker.

“All of the onus of this problem being solved relies on extra labor being done by the graduate worker, to let them know that they’ve been paid incorrectly,” said Martínez.

At press time, a follow-up meeting between UCW UVA and university leadership had not been scheduled.

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Questioning

Senlin Means and Ellie Picard opened The Beautiful Idea, a trans-owned, anti-facist bookstore and queer market on the Downtown Mall in September 2023. Photo by Tristan Williams.

Dozens of Charlottesville residents braved the rain on March 31 to attend the first-ever trans Q&A at The Beautiful Idea. While the weather outside was gloomy, the atmosphere inside the trans-owned, anti-fascist bookstore was cozy, with chairs set up under string lights, and pride flags draped across the ceiling.

The event was the brainchild of store co-owner Senlin Means, a local trans woman and C-VILLE contributor.

“The inspiration was something that happens all the time here in our shop … this woman came in … and very nervously asked us if she could talk to us about something,” said Means ahead of the event. “We get a lot of people in here who have questions to ask, and they’re often nervous about it, or think they’re gonna get in trouble, or something like that. And it made me think, ‘Hey, why don’t we offer people a way to ask these questions?’”

After months of consideration, Means decided to host the panel on International Trans Day of Visibility—held annually on March 31. Attendees were encouraged to bring questions and an open mind, with a reminder that “You don’t have to be an ally, just don’t be an asshole!”

“Normally, you shouldn’t do this. I’m not trying to say, ‘Hey, it’s okay to ask trans people random questions all the time,’” said Means. “I’m hoping this comes across more as, ‘Look, you might have these questions, and you might rightfully not feel like it’s appropriate to ask them. This is a time when you can.’”

Joining Means on the panel were Professor Veró Dávila Ellis and student Marco Seaberg, both from James Madison University.

Kicking off the Q&A, Means emphasized that “trans people are not a monolith” and panelists’ answers should not be interpreted as wholly representative of the entire community, before moving on to audience questions.

Event attendees were initially hesitant, but soon asked about the experience of being transgender, the process of transitioning, pronouns, allyship, and how to talk to and support trans family and friends.
One topic that came up repeatedly was how to talk to trans and questioning youth.

“Gender has nothing to do with sexuality or with sex. And our body parts aren’t inherently sexual or sexualized. That is something that society has put on us,” said Dávila Ellis. “Allowing a child to transition in whatever way, or allowing a child to know what are the options as they grow up for becoming the person or the gender they want to be has nothing to do with sex, and does not sexualize someone.”

Seaberg, who started transitioning as a teenager, shared his personal experience and the realities of the transitioning process—breaking it into social, medical, and legal categories.

While medical and legal steps, like taking hormones or changing the gender marker on a driver’s license, are most frequently in the news, Seaberg emphasized that most trans people start transitioning socially first. “It can be a haircut, it can be what you’re wearing—it’s how people are referring to you,” he said. “When youth are transitioning, or when anyone’s transitioning, social [transition] is usually the first thing they do or explore.”

“I was too old for puberty blockers, but I did hormones later in life. And that was something that I had to go through gender therapy for, and have many medical professionals sign off that I was ‘trans enough’ or that I was of mental state to be deciding that as a minor,” said Seaberg. “Young children who do have a strong sense of identity [are] not getting irreversible surgery at 12 in almost every case.”

Panelists also spoke about pronouns. Originally from the Caribbean, Dávila Ellis shared their unique experience of being trans nonbinary and Latinx. Following one audience member’s question about using traditionally plural they/them pronouns to refer to one person, Dávila Ellis said the discussion was specific to English, and did not necessarily apply to other languages.

Reflecting on the Q&A, Means said “that it gave me some idea of the kinds of questions that people are going to have, the kind of things we need to focus on: parenting questions, we certainly need to talk to people of color—BIPOC folks, explore nonbinary-ness more.”

Several audience members stayed after the Q&A to talk to participants, find resources, and ask more personal questions.

“I came here with my parents because I feel like it’s just something that a lot of people just don’t know about,” said Adeline Sokolowski. “It’s really nice to hear in person from people who have their own personal experiences.”

For Chad Sokolowski, the panel was “just another day” as the parent of a nonbinary teenager. “I thought it was a wonderful icebreaker,” he said. “I learned so much here tonight, you can easily write a thesis on all the information that was here. … I’m really looking forward to learning more and meeting some really great people.”

“There’s this vulnerability that all the people talking had,” said parent and event attendee Helgi Townsend. “The questions being asked were so helpful … we’re all having questions and we’re all trying to figure out being human.”

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Penciled in

The Albemarle County School Board (above) voted 7-0 in favor of Superintendent Matthew Haas’ redistricting recommendation. Supplied photo.

The Albemarle County School Board approved a redistricting plan on March 14. While some parents are celebrating, others are less than thrilled that their children will be attending new schools.

The decision to redistrict was prompted by a population surge in the northern part of Albemarle County, and significant overcrowding at Baker-Butler Elementary School. As part of the redistricting recommendation, the district selected the North Pointe site—on Route 29 north of Proffit Road—as the location for the new elementary school. While ACPS is building a new elementary school to support the population growth, current infrastructure challenges make it infeasible to wait until the school’s projected opening in 2029 to redistrict.

With 750 students—more than 200 students over the building’s capacity—Baker-Butler is strained. All fifth grade classrooms have been moved to trailers, but the school is still strapped for space. Several teachers share space, staff rooms have been converted into classrooms, and the school’s physical and occupational therapists are based in the hallway.

Less than 15 minutes away, Stony Point Elementary has an enrollment of only 181 students, and is the smallest school in the county. Low enrollment at the school has led to problems keeping staff and maintaining at least two classes per grade level.

In October 2023, ACPS convened a redistricting committee to determine how to best reorganize elementary school boundaries in two phases. Phase one—the newly passed redistricting recommendation—redraws attendance areas to relieve enrollment concerns during the construction of the new elementary school. Once the new school is completed, school boundaries will be redrawn again, which is phase two of the redistricting.

Committee priorities included zoning neighborhoods together when possible, ensuring efficient transportation routes, and limiting the number of households rezoned in both phases. After months of meetings and a community survey, the ACPS redistricting committee made its recommendation to ACPS Superintendent Matthew Haas in February, and he presented the final recommendation to the school board on February 22.

The final recommendation redistricts 189 students, moving 42 students from Stone-Robinson to Stony Point Elementary; 88 students from Baker-Butler to Hollymead Elementary; and 59 students from Woodbrook to Agnor-Hurt Elementary.

The most contentious element of the plan was the movement of students from Stone-Robinson to Stony Point Elementary—32 percent of 758 respondents expressed no support for that in the community survey conducted in early February.

Ahead of the school board vote, several parents addressed representatives in a public hearing on the redistricting.

Advocates for redistricting spoke about the close-knit community at Stony Point Elementary and the logic of adding the Cascadia neighborhood to the attendance area.

“We relocated to Albemarle County two years ago specifically because of the unique rural character of the northern part of the county,” said Clinton Key, a Stony Point parent. “When we moved here we didn’t know anyone, and the generosity and inclusivity of the school’s leadership, its staff, and its community were essential to the success and quality of the experience my children had of joining the Albemarle community.”

“We would strive to be more of a school family by adding the neighborhood of Cascadia specifically,” said Stony Point parent Anika Johnson. “It would be a wonderful addition, because our children play at the same playgrounds, ride bikes together, [and] our sidewalks connect to each other’s neighborhoods.”

Opponents to the redistricting expressed concerns about the recommendation not effectively addressing overcrowding and equity issues, among other items.

“This proposed plan is not equitable, nor does it adequately address the phase one objectives of the redistricting initiative of rebalancing enrollment across the northern feeder pattern,” said Rupert Egan. Specific issues raised by Egan include the addition of trailers to Hollymead, and the plan’s failure to truly address overcrowding at Baker-Butler.

“Cascadia is not a good fit for Stony Point’s needs,” said Cascadia resident and Stone-Robinson parent Colin Thomas, who argued the new neighborhood’s potential demographic variations would be difficult for the small elementary school to handle. “As a smaller school, Stony Point is less able to handle enrollment unpredictability than a larger school like Stone-Robinson.”

Ahead of the vote, several members of the school board spoke about redistricting difficulties. Chair Judy Le talked to her constituents in the Rivanna District, which was the area most heavily impacted by the redistricting.

“I have given immense consideration to this vote, because as a parent I understand the ramifications both positive and potentially negative,” said Le. “There is no reason that Stony Point should continue to have difficulty staffing due to its size, there’s no reason Baker-Butler should continue to burst at the seams. And the recommendation Dr. Haas has made to us is the most equitable way to do the things we need to do.”

The redistricting recommendation passed unanimously, and will go into effect for the 2024-25 school year with a one-year exemption for families of rising fifth graders.

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Budgeting for time

City Manager Sam Sanders (center) wants to raise Charlottesville’s meals, lodging, and real estate taxes to pay for the proposed FY25 budget he presented to City Council on March 6. Photo by Eze Amos.

Charlottesville City Manager Sam Sanders presented the proposed budget to City Council on March 6, prompting discussion and debate on funding allocations and potential tax hikes.

Coming in at 350 pages and $251,526,900 in total revenues and expenditures, Charlottesville’s budget for FY25 is hefty in several ways. However, nothing is final yet. Councilors have until the city’s April 9 deadline—with a hard statewide deadline of April 15—to examine the budget, hear from constituents, and consider potential amendments.

“The city manager had to prepare a budget that balances,” says Councilor Lloyd Snook. “We will take his recommended budget and hear his justifications and make a decision by April 9.”

Highlights from the presentation included $10 million for the integration of collective bargaining, $7 million in additional funding for Charlottesville City Schools, and $8.9 million for affordable housing.

In order to fund these initiatives and other priorities, the budget would increase the city’s meals, lodging, and real estate taxes. The meals tax would be raised to 7.5 percent, lodging to 9 percent, and real estate to 98 cents per $100.

If approved, this will mark the third time Charlottesville has raised its meals tax in the last five years (it is currently 6.5 percent).

“None of the tax levers we have are without issue,” says Councilor Brian Pinkston. “Each impacts the community in particular ways. We’re trying to be sensitive to that fact.”

Though he supports many of the projects funded through increased revenue from the suggested tax increases, Councilor Michael Payne was more hesitant about raising the meals tax.

“Personally, I think the meals tax should be the last tax we seek to raise. It’s our most regressive tax, and after raising it again we’d be near the top of the state for our meals tax rate,” says Payne. “Local restaurants operate on small margins and unlike with our real estate tax, there is no tax relief program for the meals tax.”

Meals taxes stack on top of state and local sales tax, meaning area diners could see a 12.8 percent tax on their food and drink purchases if the hike is approved.

For comparison, a 7.5 percent meals tax would put Charlottesville at parity with Richmond, and just below the highest meals tax in the state—8 percent in Covington, Virginia.

Alternatives to raising the meals tax include raising the lodging and real estate taxes further, according to Payne. Otherwise, major cuts would need to be made, leaving several city priorities unfunded or underfunded.

“The primary driver of the need for new revenues is employee compensation and increased contribution to schools. … These aren’t one-time expenses, they’re permanent and become a new baseline for the city budget,” says Payne. “If these aren’t fund[ed] via tax increases, about $17 million of cuts would need to be identified in the general fund.”

A sharp drop in funding from the state government prompted CCS to request a higher appropriation from the city. The city’s appropriation is $2 million short of the school district’s requested appropriation, raising concerns among education leaders.

“The discrepancy directly affects the daily experiences of both students and teachers. Our budget outlines positions aimed at reducing class sizes and providing interventionists to address gaps in student achievement,” says CCS School Board Chair Lisa Larson-Torres. “We have been working very closely with the city team, and they have been very transparent about the current state of their budget. Nevertheless, we felt that it was still important to present our budget with the $9 million dollar increase as it meets the essential needs of our students.”

Some city councilors are hopeful that additional state funding may be coming, helping the school district fill any budget gaps.

“Part of the reason that we are in this problem right now with school funding is that the state funding for our schools got cut by $2.9 million compared to last year,” says Snook. “We—and the school system—have been scrambling ever since getting that news.”

“It’s a challenging time because their needs overlap with this necessary investment in the city organization,” says Pinkston. “I am hopeful that there will be some additional relief from the state.”

Charlottesville leadership has a jam-packed schedule during budget deliberations over the next month, with at least one meeting every week. Public hearings on the proposed budget will be held on March 18 and 21, with the first session focused on tax rates.

At press time, Councilor Natalie Oschrin, Mayor Juandiego Wade, and Sanders had not responded to a request for comment.

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Wading in

Photo by Eze Amos.

Juandiego Wade never expected to settle down in Charlottesville, let alone be elected mayor.

When Wade met with C-VILLE—in a tiny meeting room in an under-construction City Hall building—on a snowy late January morning, the mayor arrived in a heavy winter coat and hat. He had just finished shoveling snow with a neighbor.

Despite the chilly weather and early hour, the recently elected mayor spoke warmly about his new role. In Charlottesville, the mayor is a member of City Council, and is chosen via a vote by the other councilors. When the votes rolled in on January 2, Wade was unanimously elected.

But the mayor’s job isn’t Wade’s full-time gig—he juggles work as an Albemarle County Social Services Career Center coordinator with being a member of City Council.

Originally from Richmond, Wade grew up in a large household with three sisters, two brothers, a stay-at-home mother, and a father who worked as a public school teacher and minister. All of Wade’s siblings still live in the city.

Growing up in the capital of the commonwealth inspired Wade to pursue a career in urban planning. The construction of Interstate 95 heavily affected his neighborhood when it came through downtown Richmond.

“It’s an expressway right in front of my church,” he says. “It seems like [it] was always impacting communities of color.”

That interest in urban planning is what prompted Wade to move to Norfolk, and later Charlottesville, for school.

“I never had any aspirations of going to UVA, I just didn’t think that it was something that I could do,” says Wade. Despite his hesitation, Wade applied and was accepted to the University of Virginia’s urban and environmental master’s program. It was through this program that Wade met his wife of over 30 years, Claudette Grant, and got involved in the broader Charlottesville community.

“My senior thesis was working with a program through the NAACP. … During that time I was able to meet many of the strong community leaders,” he says. “I learned a lot and did some studies as part of different classes about the community, different neighborhoods, Fifeville and 10th and Page.”

It was these communities and the city’s people that led Wade and Grant to settle down in Charlottesville post-graduation. After commuting into town from Goochland, the couple moved back to the city, and raised their daughter Gabby here.

“We started getting involved in the community and nonprofits and it just grew on us,” he says. “Next thing you know, it’s like, no, we can’t leave this place. We love it. And we were president of this, secretary of that, you know, we just had connected. And we had just made dear friends. … We just couldn’t fathom raising our daughter or being connected anywhere else.”

Wade’s deep involvement with the community through volunteer work and relationships is also what led him to run for public office. Mentoring young Black men who attended Charlottesville City Schools allowed Wade to gain insight into the district’s challenges, and prompted his decision to run in the city’s first school board election in 2006 (prior to that, members were appointed by City Council).

“I had been asked to be on because of my involvement in the community … but I just had no desire to get involved with politics and things like that,” says Wade. But after seven or eight years of mentorship, he changed his mind. “I saw so many things that the city school board should be doing … that is one of the reasons that I decided to run.”

“[Wade] came over and he said, ‘I’m thinking about running for school board and I’d like to know if you’d run with me.’ … I was shocked from a standpoint of being honored that he would think enough of me to ask me,” says Leah Puryear, another longtime public servant. “I said, ‘Well, you know what, there’s some people in the community that may not like me,’ and he said, ‘Well, yeah, there may be some people in the community that may not like me, too. And we’ll just hope that it’s not enough of them to keep us from getting elected.’”

While they didn’t know each other well before campaigning together, their conversation kicked off a decades-long public service career for both Wade and Puryear. Long hours canvassing neighborhoods and knocking on doors quickly turned their work relationship into a friendship.

“When Juan and I were on school board, we decided that we would meet and greet the school buses at different schools, and I went to Burnley Moran not thinking that that’s where Gabby goes to school,” says Puryear. “So I’m standing there to greet the bus. And lo and behold, she gets off the bus, ‘Hi Ms. Leah!’ I’m like, ‘Hi, Gabby!’ And she was starting school. I’m like, ‘Ah, school board’s gonna be great.’”

After almost two decades on the school board with Puryear, Wade was ready for a change. “I knew that after the fourth term in 2020 … it was time for new energy, new ideas, and I was really looking forward to retiring from that aspect of public service.”

Wade says he originally had no interest in running for City Council, but he was once again encouraged by community members.

“People really had been asking me to run. I was like, ‘No … because, like, have you seen those meetings?’ I was ready to kind of step away from that,” says Wade. “But people [were] like, ‘Juan, they need your kind of calm, steady leadership.’”

“That’s when I decided to run for council, because at that point council was just—I’m gonna get technical here—it was a hot mess,” he says. “It’s understandable because … it was the pandemic, it was just a really difficult time.”

Wade was elected to Charlottesville City Council alongside Brian Pinkston in 2021, garnering the highest percentage of the vote.

Though the two men lived in the same neighborhood, they didn’t really get to know each other until they started working together. Now, Wade says Pinkston is one of his most trusted allies, who helped bring a sense of routine back to council meetings. Both councilors hold full-time jobs, and knew it would be difficult to have extended, late-night meetings like the previous council.

“We have to go to work, we can’t go to 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning, and then get up at 6 or 7,” says Wade. “And it’s not fair to ask the public staff to be there that long.”

Sometimes late-night meetings still happen, but Wade says he is proud of the stability and consistency they have found over the last few years.

“When I got on council … there was a lot of work to be done,” he says.
Beyond citywide issues, the then-new councilor was concerned about moving to a place of civil rather than personal disagreements between councilors. When the council was able to work together after the 3-2 split election of former Mayor Lloyd Snook, Wade felt they were on the right track.

“I think I had an opportunity when I first got on council to [be mayor], but I knew that I wasn’t ready. I mean, I probably could have done it, but I just wouldn’t have been as effective as I believe Lloyd was,” says Wade. “He was able to transition us through kind of a difficult time, I was able to kind of sit back and learn and see the process. … [When] I was asked to be vice mayor, I said, ‘Yes, I’ll take that on.’”

During this time, Wade also got the opportunity to work with Puryear again, following the resignation of former councilor Sena Magill.

“Every step of the way Juan was there. If you ever are on a committee with him, if you are ever on a nonprofit board with him, there is not one question that you cannot ask him that he will not try to help you with,” says Puryear. “He loves mentoring, particularly students, but I think he likes mentoring adults too, because he’s always willing to help.”

Wade learned the ropes during his time as vice mayor, and he says the biggest changes since being elected mayor are largely ceremonial.

“I understand that I’m the only Black elected official on City Council. … The big change is that I am getting asked to speak a lot at different events,” he says. “I think the biggest transition will be those types of obligations to speak, and to present the city. But I understand that that’s what I’ve signed up for.”

As he settles into his role, Wade is keeping the ball rolling on several key issues impacting Charlottesville. From transportation to the housing crisis, the mayor says he wants to continue engaging with community leaders and promoting public dialogue.

“I’m really excited … to be in this space right now as mayor, as the city is turning the corner, dealing with some really difficult issues,” says Wade. “We’re doing it together now in a very open, respectful dialogue with the public and with one another that, you know, I feel like [City Council] can address any obstacle because we respect and trust one another.”

In his experience working with the mayor, Pinkston says Wade is a community-focused leader.

“He keeps track of so many people and he just serves everywhere he goes. It’s nothing for him to just send me a text on the weekend or just check in on me to see how I’m doing. I know he does that for countless other people as well,” says Pinkston. “He has a huge heart [and] maybe knows the community better than any of us on council, frankly, just in terms of his years of … volunteer work and all the walks that he takes in the city. … Which is absolutely remarkable and essential for the work that we do.”

Though Wade acknowledges the profound impact of the city’s history—particularly August 11 and 12, 2017—on its residents, he is optimistic about Charlottesville’s future.

“People really want to come here and live and raise a family, and I understand why. But I think part of the thing that makes it so special is the diversity of its people,” says Wade. “If we don’t do something, i.e. affordable housing, then it will change in a very short time, and I want to prevent that. … I want Charlottesville to continue to be this wonderful, vibrant place that drew my wife and I here. … As two government workers, we were able to find a house in the city of Charlottesville and pay for it. And I want other families to be able to do that as well.”

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Ribbit-roaring

The Wood Frog, with a call that’s similar to a turkey’s, is one of several species monitored by FrogWatch. File photo.

Members of central Virginia’s FrogWatch are putting their ears to the ground and leaping into action.

The FrogWatch program—started by the Akron Zoo—monitors trends in frog and toad populations by training volunteers on the calls of local species. The central Virginia chapter of FrogWatch is run collaboratively by the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District and the Rivanna Conservation Alliance, and is starting strong with its first training session at full capacity.

“The Central Virginia FrogWatch chapter has been in the planning stages for nearly a year now,” says TJSWCD Environmental Programs Coordinator Courtney Harlow-Humphreys. “We are thrilled with the local interest in frogs and toads and expect our chapter to grow in the next few years as we are able to offer more trainings.”

While there are more than 6,000 species of frogs and toads worldwide, area amphibian auditors will focus on learning the calls of 15 locally prevalent species, including the Wood Frog, Fowler’s Toad, and Pickerel Frog. By monitoring the tiny creatures from February to August each year, researchers learn more about local environmental and ecological health.

Frogs and toads are key indicators of environmental trends and dangers, due to their highly permeable skin and amphibious nature. Their famously slimy skin easily absorbs bacteria, chemicals, and other contaminants, making frogs and toads some of the first to be impacted by changes to the environment.

“If frogs and toads are absent, it could tell us that there may be problems with the water quality in that area,” says Harlow-Humphreys. “Frogs and toads serve two basic important functions in the ecosystem—controlling insect populations and sustaining predators. They are a vital piece of the food web and are necessary to keep it in check.”

Though Central Virginia FrogWatch just started collecting data, Harlow-Humphreys is enthusiastic about both the group’s future and research contributions. “We are excited to start monitoring sites throughout Charlottesville and the surrounding area so that we can get an idea of what our current local populations look like, as well as how they might change over time,” she says.

The environmentalist says she has already heard a number of species singing this season, including Eastern Cricket Frogs, Upland Chorus Frogs, and Spring Peepers. Harlow-Humphreys says volunteers will monitor the Eastern Spadefoot, a reclusive species in need of moderate conservation, according to the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan.

Beyond local implications, the data collected by FrogWatch volunteers helps researchers monitor national amphibian and environmental trends. Over 15,761 people have contributed to the national project, with more than 182,089 frog and toad observations to date. The volunteer nature of the project enables researchers to collect data on a much larger scale than otherwise possible.

Froggy friends interested in volunteering can sign up for the next Central Virginia FrogWatch training session on March 1 from 5:30 to 8:30pm.

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Sure steps?

UVA President Jim Ryan says he is optimistic about working with local partners to improve community safety. Photo by UVA Communications.

The University of Virginia Community Safety Working Group released its report aimed at improving community security following an uptick in gun violence in and around Charlottesville.

Formed in the aftermath of the November 13, 2022, fatal shooting on Grounds and a wave of area shootings, the CSWG is a collaborative effort between UVA, Charlottesville City, and Albemarle County leaders. Experts consulted by the group include local law enforcement departments, UVA’s Crisis Intervention Team, city and county public school officials, and nonprofit organizations such as the Uhuru Foundation.

“The Community Safety Working Group took up their charge during a difficult time, with violence hitting close to home on Grounds and in our community,” said President Jim Ryan to UVA Today. “Their comprehensive recommendations provide tangible steps toward a safe, thriving community, and I look forward to working with our partners to implement their proposed actions.”

While the CSWG report was released to the public on January 25, community leaders first reviewed the document and its recommendations in September, according to UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover.

“All of the working groups that operate under the auspices of the President’s Council on UVA-Community Partnerships … submit their reports to the President’s Council for review before they are finalized and moved forward. That process took place in October and November,” says Glover. “Once reviews were completed and the county, city, and UVA agreed that the report offered a comprehensive view of opportunities to decrease gun violence, the report was made available for public view.”

In its report, the CSWG breaks down its recommendations into four major goals: creating protective community environments, enhancing place-based programming and access to care, improving coordination and information flow among the Charlottesville community, and connecting youth to caring adults and activities.

The January 25 report includes several short- and medium-term recommendations, and Glover says that “many of the report’s recommendations are already being implemented through established programs, activities, resources, and courses.”

While the CSWG lists improving coordination and information flow as one of its main goals in strengthening community safety, UVA has not moved on its position to withhold the independent report on the 2022 shooting on Grounds that killed Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry, and injured two other students. Recommendations from the working group to advance this goal are limited to “center resident input” and the creation of an information hub, caregiver support network, data-sharing system, and community resource app. The CSWG kicked off work in this area with the launch of the Charlottesville Albemarle Youth Opportunity Center in spring 2023, and is currently developing other information coordination efforts, such as hiring “a data scientist to integrate data sets pertaining to youth violence.”

“The university is delaying the release of final reports from the external review due to concerns that doing so now may impact the pending criminal trial of the accused,” Glover says about UVA’s decision to withhold the independent incident report. “We are committed to providing the external review as soon as we can do so without interfering with the criminal proceedings in any way.”

To advance the group’s goal of creating protective community environments, the CSWG recommendations include gun education programs, strengthening community relationships, establishing crisis response teams, and creating a coordinated crisis response plan. Many of the short-term recommendations to support these efforts are still in early development, but coordinated efforts to obtain funding and considerations towards the creation of Crisis Response Teams are reportedly underway. Other initiatives recommended by the CSWG are broadly described as “launch public awareness campaigns” and “offer support and Community-Engaged coursework,” which included a fall 2023 class on “The Wicked Problem of Gun Violence” at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

The work group’s suggestions for improving place-based programming and access to care are equally ambitious, including investing in access to care, bridging university and community resources, and investing in community resources. Short-term recommendations to advance these efforts are relatively specific, including a new clinic operated by UVA Health and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital focused on “pediatric neurodevelopmental and behavioral health” that is slated to open this fall.

The CSWG’s steps toward strengthening support networks for local youth include supporting existing community mentorship programs, investigating violence interrupter models, advancing school-based recommendations, and strengthening academic support, youth programming, and reentry programs. Short-term efforts toward advancing these goals include “trauma-informed” and “research-based” training for mentors and uplifting the Comprehensive Care Coordination Program and One-Stop Shop efforts.

According to Glover, next steps following the CSWG report release include sharing the recommendations “with the groups and organizations who have the skills and resources to bring them to life (whether within UVA or across the broader community) so that they can be implemented in the coming months and years.”

Read the full CSWG report at prescouncil.president.virginia.edu/community-safety 

Ed. note: This story has been updated from its original January 31, 2024, publishing date to reflect additional information provided by the University of Virginia in regards to improving community security. The date of the Community Safety Working Group report’s release has also been corrected.

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Fuel for thought

On top of transitioning to alternative-fuel sources, Charlottesville Area Transit plans to expand its bus fleet. Staff photo.

On January 22, Charlottesville City Council reconvened after winter weather postponed its regularly scheduled session. One topic of discussion was alternative fuel sources for Charlottesville Area Transit, which must move away from diesel vehicles in order to meet the city’s goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

A presentation given by consultant group Kimley Horn examined the viability of three alternative fuel options for the city transit system: renewable natural gas buses, battery-electric buses, and hydrogen-fuel cell electric buses. Each presents different challenges and benefits in reaching both the city’s long- and short-term emissions goals.

Councilors dismissed natural gas buses because of limitations on the emissions reductions, but both battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel cell buses appealed to them because they have zero tailpipe emissions.

Battery-electric vehicles seemed to be more appealing, though, thanks to the comparative maturity of the technology and the definitive access to the fuel source. Trade-offs of battery-electric buses could include a need for a large fleet, the cost of implementation, and potential issues with range. While hydrogen-fuel cell electric buses were deemed more resilient by consultants, concerns were raised about the high cost of deployment given the lack of reliable fuel supply.

Costs for the project are anticipated to be high, with battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel cell electric buses both roughly double the cost of diesel vehicles. Grant money could potentially reduce costs for the city, depending on the option pursued, but total costs are hard to predict due to the ever-evolving nature of the alternative fuel technologies and potential changes to grant availability, based on the White House’s future occupant.

At the end of the presentation, consultants recommended the city pursue a pilot program using both battery-electric buses and hydrogen-fuel cell electric buses before selecting a final alternative source for Charlottesville buses. The recommended timeline for the pilot program includes adding two battery-electric buses to the CAT fleet in 2025 and three hydrogen-fuel cell electric buses in 2028, with the potential for a full fleet of zero emission buses by 2040.

While CAT officials seemed enthusiastic about going ahead with a pilot of both battery-electric buses and hydrogen-fuel cell electric buses, councilors were not convinced that moving forward with a technology as new as hydrogen-fuel cells was the best course of action. Both battery-electric and hydrogen-fuel cell buses employ batteries, but are differentiated by how they are charged.

“I have concerns about putting all of our eggs in one basket,” said CAT Director of Transit Garland Williams about his support for a pilot program exploring both alternative fuel types. “Transit works well when it’s fast, frequent, reliable, safe. We’re trying to make sure we do our due diligence.”

Rather than immediately decide on next steps in the pilot program, City Manager Sam Sanders suggested councilors hold a work session next month. “You need time with this in my opinion,” he said. 

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Looking Good?

Political ads targeting Rep. Bob Good, who’s facing a primary challenge this year, have hit the airwaves. Image by Virginians for Conservative Leadership Pac.

Election season is in full swing for Rep. Bob Good, who’s faced barbs from his challenger, substantial intra-party criticism, and an all-but-declaration-of-war from the Trump campaign. But despite these hurdles, Good says he is confident the constituents of Virginia’s 5th District will “get it right” in the June primary.

The two-term incumbent faces a primary challenge from state Sen. John McGuire, who has criticized Good for his endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over former president Donald Trump. Though Good endorsed Trump following DeSantis’ decision to drop out of the race, McGuire remains critical.

“Bob Good has come groveling back to Trump in order to save his own hide—friends, don’t trust him,” wrote McGuire in a January 21 post on Twitter/X. “He’ll stab Trump in the back again the first chance he gets. Never Trumper Bob Good is only good for Joe Biden, not for the patriots of Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.”

McGuire has also called Good a RINO (Republican in Name Only) on several occasions, regardless of the congressman’s position as chair of the Freedom Caucus.

In an interview with C-VILLE, Good denied McGuire’s characterizations. “He is lying for political purposes, he thinks it gives him some kind of advantage to say that, but I think everybody sees through what he’s doing,” Good says. “Everybody knows that I’m one of the most, if not the most, conservative member of Congress. There’s a reason why the most conservative caucus in the House of Representatives elected me as their chairman, and I have consistently fought for our conservative principles.”

“I trust the folks in the 5th District to get it right,” he says. “I expect that they will re-nominate me and elect me again in November.”

Despite Good’s confidence in his conservatism, the congressman has recently come under fire from both moderate and far-right Republicans.

Republican critics of Good include Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Trump Campaign Manager Chris LaCivita.

In a text message published by Cardinal News, LaCivita said, “Bob Good won’t be electable when we get done with him.”

When asked for a response to LaCivita’s comment, Good told C-VILLE he “never met that gentleman” and would not directly respond to questions about his communications with the Trump campaign.

Antagonism from the Trump campaign may spell major trouble for Good this primary season, according to Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ newsletter.

Though Good has now endorsed the former president, his earlier backing of DeSantis may continue to incite criticisms from the Trump campaign. “Trump and his allies are not exactly known for burying the hatchet,” says Kondik.

Trump endorsed Good in 2022, and while the former president has not come out in favor of a candidate in the 2024 contest for Virginia’s 5th District, Good’s campaign website claims a Trump endorsement. 

“Most primary challengers have no shot,” Kondik says. “McGuire is a real challenger with real support, and Good has made some enemies within his party.”

While Trump has not formally endorsed McGuire, LaCivita’s comment is an indicator to Kondik that “there will be an aggressive campaign waged on McGuire’s behalf against Good.”

Political ads targeting Good are already rolling out, including one from the Virginians for Conservative Leadership Political Action Committee. The group questions Good’s loyalty to Trump in its video, and further criticizes the congressman for focusing on “political theater” over the needs of constituents on its website nogoodbob.com.

“That PAC is neither conservative, or … from Virginia,” says Good. “If you’re trying to be deceptive and dishonest and try to smear someone, then you use a name for yourself that might convey a different impression than what the truth really is.”

Virginians for Conservative Leadership has a mailing address in Hudson, Wisconsin, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission. C-VILLE could not independently confirm the PAC’s political leanings.

For all of the animosity between McGuire and Good, the two Republicans have overlapping political platforms. Both candidates oppose abortion and gun control laws, and support Christian principles on their campaign websites. The most notable distinction between the candidates’ campaign websites is the level of detail on policy issues. McGuire is more vague, referencing a support for “conservative values” and “Christian conservative values,” while Good outlines his views on immigration and the economy, among other issues.

Regardless of who wins the nomination, Kondik says Republicans will most likely win the 5th District seat in the general election. “Virginia’s 5th District is not overwhelmingly Republican,” he says, “but it is Republican enough that any GOP nominee should be fine in November.”

Early in-person voting in Virginia’s congressional primaries will begin on May 3 at local registrars’ offices, with Primary Election Day on June 18.

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Filling it in

Image by FAFSA.

Things are getting messier in the rollout of the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, with a form error potentially reducing the amount of aid students will receive. As students navigate the FAFSA, C-VILLE asked area colleges and high schools how they’re advising both current and prospective enrollees on the financial aid process.

At the University of Virginia, Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover says that application deadlines and the timeline for admissions offers have not been impacted due to the university’s need-blind admission process. However, problems with the FAFSA have led UVA to extend “the reply deadline for students who were offered admission through our early-decision plan and who applied for need-based financial aid,” says Glover. “If we experience delays in notifying admitted early-action or regular-decision students about their aid packages, we will be glad to work with the students in question to make sure they have enough time to consider their aid before they accept or decline our offer of admission.”

Glover says UVA does not expect delays for current students, and will assess any potential aid package impacts “once we begin receiving their aid applications later this semester.”

Dean of Student Affairs Andrew Renshaw says that Piedmont Virginia Community College has been minimally impacted by issues with the FAFSA due to its open enrollment cycle.

“We’re monitoring our students’ experience with the new FAFSA. We’ve had some students reaching out to us, mostly expressing just sort of apprehension, because … they’ve heard it’s a new process,” he says. “Whenever students feel like there’s going to be a change to something that impacts college affordability it’s something that’s of interest to them.”

PVCC offers biweekly FAFSA events hosted by its financial aid team and walk-in sessions to help students navigate the form and all of its challenges.

As the most affordable higher-education option in the area, Renshaw says it’s especially important for PVCC to monitor any potential impacts to student aid packages from the FAFSA. “We have a ‘PVCC4U 100%’ program that ensures that all of our students, or nearly all of our students, are able to qualify for free tuition and fees as they complete their educational workforce pathways, and the FAFSA plays an important role in that program,” he says. “We are hopeful that by providing the extra support that we are providing that the issues our students might face with the new FAFSA will be mitigated to some degree.”

The current issues with the FAFSA stem from bipartisan legislation passed by Congress in 2020, which was aimed at simplifying the financial aid process. Under the bill, the FAFSA was radically reworked, with changes including a decrease in questions, a new system for calculating aid eligibility, and an annual adjustment for inflation.

The new system for calculating aid eligibility and amount, the Student Aid Index, weighs an applicant’s assets against specific allowances. On top of allowances for United States income taxes paid and payroll taxes, the SAI shelters a certain amount of income from consideration, depending on the applicant’s household size. For example, a dependent student from a four-person household would have an Income Protection Allowance of $35,870 according to the 2024-2025 Draft Pell Eligibility and SAI Guide.

The Income Protection Allowance was the element of​​ the FAFSA that Congress specified should be adjusted annually for inflation.

After months of delays, the Department of Education launched the “new and improved” FAFSA on December 30, 2023. When students were finally able to access the form, it was missing one key change—the SAI/IPA adjustment for inflation.

The failure to adjust for several years of high inflation has resulted in the FAFSA undercalculating students’ aid and grant eligibility. One estimate from The Washington Post shows the form considering between $6,000 to $10,000 in additional income. The inclusion of this additional income may also exclude some students from the partial Pell Grants they are entitled to.

While UVA and PVCC are working to combat known and anticipated problems with the FAFSA, local high schools seem to be in wait-and-see mode.  

“We hope that the changes simplify the FAFSA application process for everyone,” said Melanie Key, chair of the counseling department at Charlottesville City Schools in a January 12 message to C-VILLE. “Since the form only opened on December 30, and we returned to classes on January 2, we have not assisted many families with the 2024 FAFSA yet.” In the same email, Supervisor of Community Relations Beth Cheuk said she and Key thought it may be “too soon for a story about the [FAFSA] reception.”

Albemarle County Public Schools had not responded to C-VILLE’s FAFSA questions by press time.

The Department of Education is currently weighing whether to update the FAFSA for the 2024-2025 school year, or wait until next year to adjust the form for inflation.