Tag: charlottesville city schools

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Opinion

Working the system: Galvin has a history of supporting the status quo

City Councilor Kathy Galvin is running for David Toscano’s seat in the House of Delegates this fall. Photo: Eze Amos

Councilor Kathy Galvin won’t be sitting on the dais in City Hall much longer. Instead of running for re-election to council this year, she’s currently campaigning as a progressive candidate for the House of Delegates. The planks of her platform are “a sustainable future,” “an equitable future,” and a “just and safe world.”

At face value, it is a good and progressive platform. But looking at her history as a local politician tells a different story—Councilor Galvin is almost cartoonishly sawing through the planks of Candidate Galvin’s platform.

Galvin’s understanding of the government’s role in righting the wrongs of its past is perhaps best summarized in her own words. Before she sat on City Council, she served as a member of the Charlottesville City School Board. In 2004, the district commissioned a report by the International Curriculum Management Audit Center. The audit found a stark racial divide in our city’s schools, concluding, “No city can survive by only serving one-half its constituents well. The future of such a legacy is dire.”

In a 2005 memo to the rest of the school board, Galvin criticized the report, accusing the outside auditor of being “bent on finding evidence of institutional racism.” Instead, she blamed parents for Charlottesville’s shocking racial inequities:

“The educational system is in and of itself neutral, even passive. White parents make it work for them through persistence and volunteer involvement. Black parents on the other hand expect the schools to look after their needs and tell them what needs to be done. […] As a result white kids learn how to prepare for college life due to their parents’ advocacy and black kids are left in the lurch due to their parents’ lack of knowledge or experience with a good education […].”

She urged the rest of the board to reject the results of the audit and “unequivocally state that the racial bias [in the audit] was unnecessary and in fact harmful” and warned of “unintended consequences” of closing the racial achievement gap, particularly that the district will lose more rich white students to private school “because they perceive that academics have taken a back seat to politics.”

She asks what the implications are “if the needs and interests of one ethnic group are emphasized over all others,” but clearly fails to realize that’s the situation the report tells them they already have.

When asked about the memo by The New York Times in October of last year, she stood by her position, calling the report’s advice on correcting the city schools’ racial achievement gap “too narrow and racially biased.”

I reread this memo recently. Several times. A recent AP Style Guide update has advised journalists to do away with euphemisms like “racially charged,” but as an opinion columnist I was already free to call this what it is. It is so racist it knocked the wind out of me. Any white progressive who truly believes the system to be neutral doesn’t stand a chance of making any meaningful change. And based on what I’ve seen in council chambers, that memo was and remains representative of her views as a whole: We can address issues of equity if and when we’ve thoroughly considered how it might affect upper-middle-class white families.

Galvin’s votes as a councilor often seem motivated by a rigid adherence to existing paradigms, even when she acknowledges that the plan she’s clinging to is flawed or downright wrong. For instance, in her rationale for voting against a zoning change that would have allowed the Hogwaller Farms project to move forward, Galvin was anxious about rezoning out of sync with the comprehensive plan, saying “that’s not a holistic vision; that’s not a healthy way” to plan. In her job as an architect, this is an asset. An entire building is carefully planned on paper before ground is broken. Cities are planned, too, but life doesn’t stop while you take the plan back to the drafting table. We can’t sit on our hands for years waiting for an overhaul of zoning ordinances the head of Neighborhood Development Services has called “a wastebasket of errors.”

I’ve long believed Galvin is simply terrified of change, that she lacks the courage and creativity to imagine solutions that don’t adhere to her rigid notions of how the system works, and is unwilling to examine how that system works and for whom. Time and time again she asks marginalized communities to wait for a more convenient season, to stop agitating for radical change, to stop inconveniencing the comfortable. I do think she believes what she is doing will bring about “an equitable future,” but she holds fast to a flawed belief that this can be done without the input of those currently suffering under inequity.

It doesn’t matter if there is no malice in your heart if you repeatedly support policies that consistently harm marginalized communities. At the end of the day, intentions don’t matter. Impact does.

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News

In brief: Worst state to vote, bug-free buses, facial hair for charity and more

Mississippi ekes by Virginia as the state that makes it the most difficult for its citizens to vote, while Oregon is ranked best state for voters in a recent study.

We’re No. 49

Virginia ranks as one of the worst states in the country when it comes to ease of voting, according to a recent study from Northern Illinois University. Our state has slipped in the “cost of voting index” since 1996, when we ranked No. 42, to the “second most difficult” place to vote in 2016—just ahead of Mississippi, says co-author Michael Pomante.

Voter fraud is often cited as the reason for the restrictions, but Pomante says, “We don’t see voter fraud in other states that make it easier to vote.”

And what does No. 1 look like? That would be Oregon, home to automatic voter registration and where every voter on the rolls is mailed a ballot, which can be mailed or dropped off, says Pomante. “It makes voter turnout much higher.”

The next step for researchers is to look at voter disenfranchisement, says Pomante. “We do know there’s a correlation with minority population and voting. States with higher minority populations make it more difficult to vote.”

And on the cost of voting index, most Southern states wallow in the bottom half of the scale.

Reasons why the Old Dominion is so voter unfriendly:

  • Voter registration deadline: It’s three weeks before Election Day, while some states have same-day registration, automatic registration, or even pre-registration for those about to turn 18.
  • Photo ID: without it, voters have to cast provisional ballots.
  • No early voting.
  • Absentee voting: You’d better have a
    darn good excuse to do so.
  • Felon disenfranchisement: While not quite as bad as Florida, where 10 percent of
    the citizens can’t vote because they’ve spent time in jail, Virginians who have served their time have to petition the governor to get back their voting rights.

Quote of the week

“We’ve got to do a better job of teaching critical thinking to young people so they won’t be suckered by hate mongering.”—Martin Luther King III at the Virginia Film Festival

In brief

Rebel flags banned

The Charlottesville City School Board voted unanimously November 1 to prohibit wearing hate symbols such as Confederate, Nazi, and KKK imagery across the division. Albemarle, which has been sued in the past for restricting images on students’ clothes, is still wrestling with the issue.

Another UVA frat racial incident

UVA’s Student Hip-Hop Organization and I.M.P. Society denounced “blatant discrimination and violence” at an October 27 party they hosted at Beta Theta Pi, the Cav Daily reports. After deciding not to allow additional guests, white guys guarding the doors let their friends in, and fraternity members set up a separate, exclusive space from other partygoers, creating an unwelcome environment for minority students. The fraternity apologized November 2.

‘Graduation rapist’ in news again

Jeffrey Miller, formerly known as Jeffrey Kitze. Photo: Virginia Department of Corrections

Jeffrey Kitze was convicted of raping his sister’s UVA law school roommate in 1989. And he was back in jail for probation violations for stalking a local woman in 2013, when he changed his name to Jeffrey Ted Miller. In May, he moved to New York, where a woman recently requested a protective order against him, CBS19 reports.

Books are back

Another used bookstore will take the place of the Downtown Mall’s now-closed Read It Again, Sam, according to landlord Joan Fenton. She says new tenant Daphne Spain will open the doors of Second Act in February.

Cost of grooming?

Some Charlottesville police are fighting childhood cancer by not shaving their facial hair until February. “Officers will be allowed to grow beards and donate the money they typically spend on shaving and grooming to benefit the UVA Children’s Hospital Cancer Clinic,” according to a CPD press release on the Winter Wool campaign. Here’s hoping some CPD members are used to expensive shaves.

Transit boss declares CAT buses bug-free

During the summer, C-VILLE Weekly learned of Charlottesville Area Transit drivers being plagued by irritations that they attributed to bug bites. The city confirmed it was aware of “two or three cases,” but said the drivers had not seen the bugs they believed responsible for the bites.

“They have never found a thing,” says transit director John Jones. “There aren’t any bugs on the buses. There are bugs on people.”

When passengers visibly sporting bugs catch the CAT, says Jones, “We call Foster’s Pest Control immediately.”

City buses are vacuumed every night, cleaned every week, and bug-bombed regularly, he says. In fact, one driver’s rash came from the cleaning products. “They’re harsh,” says Jones.

A new trolley will have hard plastic seats to further thwart insect infestations, he says.

He also notes that a sofa in the drivers lounge that employees wouldn’t touch was replaced by a leather one that turned up in the city warehouse. “One of the judges downtown was getting rid of some nice furniture.”

Jones reassures CAT riders: “We never found an infestation of bed bugs or anything.”

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News

Guns & PE: Firearm safety comes to high school health class

Kristen Martin, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, says securing all firearms, unloaded and away from ammunition, is the most important safety tip. Photo by Eze Amos

Charlottesville’s physical education teachers are already tasked with teaching a range of heavy topics in health class, from the dangers of opioid addiction to how to avoid unhealthy relationships. Now, gun safety will be added to the list.

Fifteen of the city school division’s PE teachers traded a day in the gym last week for a day in the classroom, where they joined volunteers from the local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. The group shared a training it developed called “Be SMART,” and asked the educators to take the information back to their school communities. Meanwhile, the school division will be working on adapting the curriculum for 10th graders at CHS, who will be the first in the area to learn it in a classroom.

“In America, we do have an issue with gun violence,” says Kristen Martin, a Moms Demand Action volunteer. She presented a range of security methods parents can use, including free gun locks handed out by many police departments upon request, and expensive safes that a gun owner can open only with his handprint.

Securing all firearms, unloaded and away from ammunition, is “the single most important thing we can do,” to protect against accidents, suicides, and kids toting their parents’ guns to school to commit mass shootings, she adds.

Moms Demand Action is now working with Jessica Brantley, the city school division’s health and physical education instructional coordinator, who will implement the gun safety course at CHS.

“They’re almost adults, so soon they’ll possibly be able to own a firearm and be responsible for its use,” says Brantley. “They will then have to understand the risk of having it in a home where there are other people.”

And it’s important for students to be trained on proper gun use, she adds. “If they are going to use them, it’s just like driving a car—you don’t just get in and drive.”

The gym teacher of 16 years says she thinks students will be shocked by some of the statistics presented by Moms Demand Action.

Every year, nearly 300 children under age 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else—often fatally. American kids are 11 times more likely to die from gun violence than those in other developed countries. And 1.7 million children in the U.S. live in homes with guns that are both loaded and unlocked.

Priya Mahadevan, the leader of Charlottesville’s Moms Demand Action chapter, says they initiated the training because educators are crucial to the conversation of gun violence and school safety.

“We are proud of this inroad we’ve made and we hope that this will be the first of many in our school districts,” she says.

Get SMART

While the firearm safety protocol of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is mostly geared toward parents, Charlottesville City Schools will adapt it to cater to 10th graders. Here are some tips for parents:

  • Secure all guns in your home and vehicles.
  • Model responsible behavior around guns.
  • Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes.
  • Recognize the risks of teen suicide.
  • Tell your peers to be SMART.
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News

Transfer rate: Are Charlottesville schools leaving city kids behind?

Teacher Robyn Davis requested the city’s only trailer, aka learning cottage, for her preschoolers at Greenbrier Elementary, and says they can be a little louder and feel part of a smaller, age-appropriate community. Photo courtesy of Beth Cheuk

By Natalie Jacobsen

Recent Charlottesville City Schools data suggests a trend among its elementary schools: Non-resident students, typically from Albemarle County and colloquially referred to as “county kids,” are surpassing resident students in transfer rates across the school system. And that’s putting city kids in standalone modular classrooms to handle the excess capacity, says a former Charlottesville School Board chair.

Not so, says city schools spokesperson Beth Cheuk. “We have exactly one trailer.” Or “learning cottage,” as it’s known in educationese.

The enrollment of non-resident students is not new. “In 1983, enrollment for resident students was declining,” says Charlottesville City Schools Superintendent Rosa Atkins. School administrators calculated how a tuition-based program would boost the bottom line and the school board approved the enrollment of non-resident students.

For the 2016-2017 school year, of 292 transfer students, 210  paid tuition: $1,337 a year for K-8 students and $1,701 for high school students (additional siblings get a price break). The 82 children of city employees don’t pay tuition.

“One of our goals is to keep expanding, and that means accepting non-resident students,” says School Board Chair Juandiego Wade. “If out-of-district kids want to come to our schools and pay tuition, we will welcome them.”

Within the city, students may transfer to another school—if that school’s principal agrees.

“Most of the time, [transfers are requested] for child care reasons,” says Atkins. “Maybe their babysitter or after-school care is located in another school zone, and the parents want their child to stay with the same sitter or facility.” Transportation can be another factor in granting a transfer, and non-resident students do not have a city bus option, she says.

Last year, Greenbrier Elementary reached capacity—a maximum of 24 students per classroom—and installed a $70,000 trailer-like classroom outside of the school at the request of a preschool teacher, says Cheuk.

“The modular classroom is very modern, clean and even has a better bathroom than the school,” says Wade. “We are one of the fastest-growing districts in Virginia, and using these modulars is not uncommon.”

Seven classrooms in elementary schools were added this school year.

Former school board chair and city councilor Dede Smith says that was to accommodate the incoming non-resident students.

Cheuk puts that number at two additional classes to accommodate non-resident students, whose enrollment is flat. She says the school system’s 3 percent growth is fueled by residents, not non-residents, whose numbers are declining.

Smith contends the learning cottage at Greenbrier houses city kids, and not a single “county kid.”

“The preschool classes are held there,” she says. “They are isolated from the rest of the school. Even the school doors automatically lock, so the students stand outside after class, waiting for someone inside to let them back in so they can go home.”

Smith also expresses concerns for the in-district student transfers who were rejected.

“Last year, of the 65 resident transfer requests, 33 were by white-identified students, and nearly 100 percent of requests were granted. Of the 27 black-identified students, that acceptance rate dropped to under 50 percent.” The other five “Asian” or “unidentified” students were accepted.

“That is unacceptable,” says Smith. The city “is blatantly telling resident kids that they are not a priority, especially black students.” Of all city students, 42 percent are white and 33 percent are black.

“For what it’s worth, we do not ask a student’s race on the transfer application,” says Atkins. However, information on a student is accessible by any principal. “Last year was an anomaly in the acceptance rates,” she says. “In some cases, some families applied more than once, so some numbers are repetitive.”

“Saying we prioritize by race is disrespectful in my eyes and goes against everything I stand for,” says Wade.

In 2013-2014, 100 percent of black students’ and 98 percent of white students’ transfer requests were granted, and more recently in the current 2017-2018 year, 100 percent of white students were allowed to transfer, while 89 percent of black students were, according to the city.

“When you make decisions like we do, not everyone is going to like it,” says Wade. “I’m willing to take the hit. We do our best to reach every student.”

A lot of a student’s success depends on parents, says Wade: “Some economically disadvantaged homes may not be able to provide a quiet space or materials or parental help with homework.”

“More and more pressure is put on families, even though they may not be able to provide,” says Smith. City schools need to take responsibility and provide more resources for those who do not have it at home, she says. “But first, they need to return to prioritizing the resident kids, as their application policy suggests. They need to spend their budget on helping these students excel, not buy trailers to make room for non-residents.”

By the numbers

Charlottesville City Schools

Budget: $78.5 million

Resident students: 4,313

Annual spending per student: $16,840

Non-resident transfer students: 292

Tuition: $1,337 for K-8 , $1,701 for high school students

Learning cottages: 1

Courtesy Charlottesville City Schools

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News

How to spend $162 million: The city’s budget increases 3.5 percent

Over the next three fiscal years, City Manager Maurice Jones is proposing $10 million for improvements to West Main Street. Photo by Jack Looney

Charlottesville City Manager Maurice Jones presented his proposed budget for fiscal year 2017 to City Council on March 7.

The $161,871,784 budget is a 3.5 percent increase over 2016’s fiscal year budget, which was approved at $156,391,435. The latest budget is Jones’ sixth version.

“The biggest chunk is going to the schools,” he says, and overall, he is proposing an additional $1.9 million for city schools, along with a 1 percent increase in the lodging tax rate to help offset the cost of school funding. The increase will add $566,000 in revenue.

The tax rate will stay the same at 95 cents per $100 of assessed value; because property values increased by 2.56 percent in 2015, the city made an extra $3.1 million in property tax revenue.

In just two words, Jones says he can summarize next year’s budget as allocating money for “quality services” in the city. And, in his opinion, one of the most significant capital improvement projects in the works is the development of a $1.7 million skate park at McIntire Park.

Renovations to Charlottesville’s circuit and general district courts are also a priority, with $4.5 million projected for circuit court renovations over a five-year span and $500,000 in the current budget for design. An additional $500,000 is proposed for general district court renovations, which will require more than $7 million over the five years.

Over the next three fiscal years, Jones is proposing $10 million for improvements to West Main Street. In five years, $1 million will be used to install new sidewalks and almost $500,000 will go toward maintaining underground utilities.

By 2025, City Council’s vision for Charlottesville is for it to be “America’s healthiest city,” and Jones says the budget supports that by allocating money for keeping up with parks and recreation “to help ensure that people have opportunities to exercise.” Over the next two fiscal years, $1.5 million will go toward implementing the McIntire Park master plan.

Minor changes to some services will save almost $400,000, Jones says. Those include reducing pool hours at the Washington Park Pool and a change to the Charlottesville Area Transit route 7, which will reduce the number of operating buses to six per hour, instead of seven. Wait times between buses on that route will increase to 20 minutes, up from 15 minutes.

Council will meet March 10 for a budget work session.

BUDGET BREAKDOWN

$161,871,784: Total budget is a 3.5 increase over 2016 fiscal year budget

No change: Tax rate stays the same, 95 cents per $100 of assessed value

$63,569,933: City schools get the biggest piece of the general fund budget pie, with an increase of $1.9 million

$3.1 million: The additional revenue from property values, which increased 2.56 percent in 2015

$10 million: Amount slated for West Main improvements

$1.5 million: for the McIntire Park
master plan