Tag: Government & Courts

Categories
News

Passing the buck

File photo.

Charlottesville representatives returned to Richmond for the April meeting of the state legislature. The April 17 session was originally intended to address vetoes, amendments, and the state budget, but a jam-packed agenda pushed budget considerations to May.

Though he didn’t outright veto the budget, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin put forward 233 amendments to the bill, and went on a tour of Virginia to rally opposition to what he called a “broken” spending plan.

Rather than try to address the divide on the budget during the one-day session, the House of Delegates voted unanimously to reject Youngkin’s budget amendments—allowing lawmakers to meet for a special session of the legislature on May 13 and, hopefully, pass the final spending plan by May 15. Legislators have completely scrapped the budget, and are now building a new budget with input from Democratic and Republican leadership.

Lawmakers have until July 1 to pass a budget before Virginia goes into a government shutdown. In the interim, the state budget delay is creating uncertainty for local governments, including Charlottesville’s.

The city’s budget was finalized on April 15, but questions about state funding make planning difficult for local school systems and other organizations slated to receive money from the commonwealth.

“The amount of state funding for local school systems is unknown,” said City Councilor Michael Payne in an email. “We have to wait to see how much additional revenue goes to [the] state increasing teacher salaries, funding ESOL positions, etc.”

According to Councilor Lloyd Snook, the state’s pushback of budget deadlines in recent years has added an additional layer of difficulty to the local budget process, resulting in city lawmakers “working in the dark.”

“Because council did not give the schools as much as they wanted, I was hoping that the budget would include at least another $2 million for the schools,” said Snook in an email. “The budget that is now supposed to be adopted in May might help the schools directly, but who knows at this point?”

Charlottesville will also feel the impact of the April legislative session through the failure of multiple bills introduced by local representatives. The legislature did not overturn any of Youngkin’s vetoes, despite bipartisan and popular support for several bills.

Among the legislation struck down were two bills from state Sen. Creigh Deeds, both of which focused on gun control.

In a bill update shared on social media, Deeds addressed the failure of Senate Bill 383, which was inspired by the fatal on-Grounds shooting of three University of Virginia student-athletes in
November 2022.

“Purportedly, it was known that the student on trial for their murders was having trouble and had firearms in his room in a University-owned residence hall,” Deeds wrote. “Even though this violated policy, law enforcement was hamstrung in their ability to respond to this information because this was not a criminal violation. SB 383 was about making sure law enforcement can act on reliable intelligence. If this had been law, the University Police would have been able to obtain a search warrant and remove the firearms.”

Categories
News

In brief

Photo by Tristan Williams.

Rock solid

Dave Matthews Band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the star-studded class of 2024.

Musical acts become eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording, and are inducted based on voting by more than 1,000 music historians, industry professionals, and current Hall of Fame members. Since 2012, fan voting has been a part of membership consideration, giving the winner of the poll one additional vote toward induction. In its first year of eligibility (2020), DMB was the first and only group to win the popularity poll, but not be inducted into the hall.

Eligibility, nominations, and inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have been the subject of much national attention since its founding in the 1980s. After decades of snubbing Rock and Roll icons, the hall now balances honoring iconic figures years after they became eligible and inducting newer acts.

Joining DMB in the Class of 2024 are Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, Mary J. Blige, Kool & The Gang, Foreigner, and A Tribe Called Quest. While this year marks the largest group of inductees ever, several nominees were snubbed, including Sinéad O’Connor, who died last year.

“Dave Matthews Band is honored to be in the @rockhall Class of 2024,” the band said on X/Twitter. “Congrats to our fellow nominees and thanks so much to all of our fans for the support!”

The Class of 2024 will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mascot mania

Finalist for new middle school mascot. Charlottesville City Schools.

Along with a new name and building, Charlottesville’s only middle school will soon have a new mascot. Voters have until April 30 to tell Charlottesville City Schools their preference from the list of finalists: the Black Knights, “another type of knight”(e.g. Junior Knights, Orange Knights), the Chargers, and the Monarchs.

The final choices were selected through an earlier survey conducted by the school district, with each potential mascot illustrated through stock photos and AI-generated images to give voters a feel for potential logos. CCS emphasizes that the “images shown are only starting points,” and it will work with a designer once a mascot is selected.

Regardless of which mascot comes out on top, the school’s colors and logo will be orange and black to match Charlottesville High School’s colors.

The district has not given a timeline for the selection of the mascot or revealed a final design, but Buford Middle School will formally be renamed Charlottesville Middle School when the new building is officially opened for the 2025-26 school year.

UVA assault

University of Virginia police responded to an assault April 21 on the 1400 block of University Avenue. The incident, which occurred around 2am, left one adult male victim with serious injuries. He was sent to UVA Medical Center. University police transferred the case to the Charlottesville Police Department, and detectives have begun an investigation. Photos of individuals sought by CPD are available at charlottesville.gov/1741/police. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact CPD at 970-3280 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at 977-4000.

Burn out

One of the tiki torch-bearers from August 11, 2017, has pleaded guilty to participating in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Tyler Bradley Dykes, 26, of Bluffton, South Carolina, who was arrested in Charlottesville last year, took a guilty plea on two felony counts regarding his assault on Capitol police officers. According to the plea agreement, Dykes faces a maximum of eight years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Dog’s day

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA raised more than $100,000 this year during its 11th annual bow-WOW-walk fundraiser, which was held on April 20 at Boar’s Head Resort. The event featured both a competitive 5K race and a leisurely dog walk. Pet owners could also enter their furry friends into competitions for best trick, best costume, and pet-owner look-alike. According to CBS19, more than 250 people attended the fundraiser, whose proceeds will go to homeless animals and programs at CASPCA.

Categories
News

In brief

City of Charlottesville

Taxed for time

Charlottesville City Council worked down to the April 15 statewide deadline to approve the city’s budget for fiscal year 2025. Tax increases were a topic of hot discussion, with council reworking and amending levies repeatedly during the months-long budget process.

Coming in at a whopping $253,335,298, the city’s general fund will finance several local priorities, including transportation, safety, and collective bargaining efforts. Spending includes $4.2 million for the Stribling Avenue sidewalk project, $3 million for public housing redevelopment, and $5.7 million in education expenditures.

To balance out spending, the city is raising real estate, meals, lodging, and personal property taxes.

After much debate, the real estate tax will increase by 2 cents to a rate of 98 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Councilor Michael Payne previously proposed a higher increase to the real estate tax to reduce rate increases to more “regressive” taxes, like the meals tax. “I think that’s not the right way for us to approach tax increases,” said Payne in an interview with C-VILLE ahead of the vote. “My concern is that the way we’ve broken down the tax increases is just leaning too much on regressive taxes, when we had other options available to us for revenue increases.”

The meals tax will increase by half a percent to a rate of 7 percent. The final meals tax hike is lower than originally anticipated, but still contentious among local restaurateurs. In order to balance the budget, councilors instead decided to increase the personal property tax for the first time in several years by 40 cents, leading to a tax levy of $4.40 per $100 of assessed value.

On the lodging side, council proceeded with its original plan of a 1 percent increase for a total tax rate of 9 percent.

The final budget approval and appropriation passed 4-0, with Mayor Juandiego Wade absent from the council meeting due to a family emergency.

Bargaining time

On April 11, the Albemarle County School Board unanimously approved a collective bargaining agreement. While the vote is a victory for local education organizers, there are still several steps before official union representation for county school employees.

The new collective bargaining agreement received extensive consideration from the Albemarle Education Association and school board prior to its presentation on March 28, with more than a dozen meetings held between the organizing group and school district. A previous attempt at an agreement by the AEA was rejected by the ACPS school board in 2022.

Under the collective bargaining agreement adopted last week, district employees can organize through two potential units: one for licensed employees and one for education support professionals. Once 50 percent of employees in either or both units request representation by a union—such as the AEA—the group can then request a certification vote. The certified union can then negotiate with the school district on wages, benefits, and working conditions for members.

Charlottesville homicide

Charlottesville police are investigating the first reported homicide of 2024. At approximately 7:30pm on April 9, officers responded to a report of shots fired, and found 31-year-old DeQwane Brown with multiple gunshot wounds in a vehicle in the area of 12th Street and Rosser Avenue. Brown was pronounced dead at the scene, and CPD issued an arrest warrant on April 11 for Sidney Stinnie. Stinnie turned himself in without incident on April 15, and faces charges including second-degree murder.

Officer-involved shooting

Virginia State Police are investigating a fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred in Albemarle County on April 10. According to Waynesboro police, the incident started when a vehicle leaving the scene of a shots-fired incident did not pull over for a traffic stop, leading to a car chase along I-64. The chase ended when the driver, 29-year-old Kevin Taylor II of Charlottesville, crashed into a guard rail around mile marker 102. Taylor was shot during an engagement with police after the crash, and died later the same day at UVA Medical Center.

File photo.
By the grills

As peak grilling season approaches, Albemarle County Fire Rescue is reminding residents to keep safety in mind after an April 13 structure fire in the 2400 block of Old Lynchburg Road. The fire—which was started by an unattended charcoal grill—resulted in the complete loss of an outbuilding and affected roughly two acres of forest area. Before heating things up, outdoor chefs should ensure that their grill is located away from homes, deck railings, and any overhangs. Other safety tips include: Keep kids and pets at least three feet away from the cooking space, keep the grill clean, and never leave a grill unattended.

Categories
News

In brief

File photo.

Money talks

Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on April 8 that he would not veto the entire state budget created by the legislature, instead putting forward a swath of broad-reaching amendments.

The governor’s “common ground budget” has some key differences from the version passed by the state legislature earlier this year: It cuts all tax increases from the bill, but also includes none of the tax decreases he championed in his December budget proposal.

“I believe strongly that Virginia could be reforming and reducing the tax burdens on Virginians today,” said Youngkin at a press conference announcing the 233 budget amendments. “We have to make a decision together. And I will propose today that that decision together is that we do not fight over tax decreases, but we also recognize it’s not time, nor will it ever be, for tax increases that will interrupt this economic model that is working so well.”

One notable change to the budget is an amendment that would remove language requiring Virginia to reenter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Prior to Youngkin pulling Virginia from RGGI in 2023, the program brought in millions of dollars in funding for local governments, but also came with slight increases to resident’s electricity bills.

During his presentation on the budget rewrite, Youngkin described RGGI as a “tax,” a characterization he has previously made that is disputed by proponents of the initiative.

State legislators will return to the capitol to consider the budget changes alongside other amendments and vetoes on April 17. Among those returning is Charlottesville representative Creigh Deeds, who serves on the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee. In response to a request for comment from C-VILLE, Deeds said, “[the Governor’s] amendments will receive due consideration.”

Skyclad Aerial

To market

Charlottesville City Market kicked off its 51st season on April 6, boasting over 80 vendors on opening day at its Water Street location.

The market—which runs from April to November—is open every Saturday from 9am to 1pm. Shoppers can check out a range of fresh produce, baked goods, crafts, and more from both returning and new vendors, including Khadijah’s Kitchen, Arepas on Wheels, Pit & Pastry, Petite Buzz Farm, Qut Lil Garden, and more.

This year marks the first full season of the city’s partnership with Virginia Fresh Match, which aims to double SNAP purchases at farmers markets by matching eligible purchases. Shoppers using SNAP dollars can visit the city management tent at the market for a match of up to $50 per visit.

Downtown Saturday morning shoppers can find even more vendors a few blocks away at the Market at Ix, which is open from 8am to noon during its spring season.

For more information about other area farmers’ markets, visit charlottesville.gov/619/Charlottesville-Farmers-Markets.

Mika Meyers memorial

Albemarle County Fire Rescue held a memorial service for firefighter Mika Meyers, who died off duty on March 29. Over 100 firefighters attended the April 6 service at the Monticello High School auditorium. An obituary posted on the Hill & Wood Funeral Service website says Meyers’ family “is steadfast, moving forward, about stripping the stigma, shame and misunderstanding of mental illness and suicide. This is a disease, not a flaw of character.” At press time, a GoFundMe had raised over $45,000 for Meyers’ family.

Sips for SARA

Four local breweries have partnered with the Sexual Assault Resource Agency to raise money for the organization during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Each brewery has created a limited edition drink flavored with Simcoe hops, with a portion of proceeds going to SARA. Decipher Brewing and SuperFly Brewing Company kicked off the month-long fundraiser last week with release parties on April 1 and 5, respectively. To support the “Simcoe for SARA” effort, head down to Högwaller Brewing on April 11 or Selvedge Brewing on April 20 to sip the unique brews.

Change in counsel

As of April 15, the City of Charlottesville will temporarily be represented by Richmond law firm Sands Anderson while City Attorney Jacob Stroman is on leave. The firm is set to serve as acting City Attorney of Charlottesville for 60 days. In a press release announcing the interim counsel, the city said “all active litigation is being managed to ensure the City does not fall behind,” including the lawsuit aiming to stop the new zoning ordinance.

Categories
News

In brief

Charlottesville residents called on city councilors to pass the ceasefire resolution ahead of the vote. Image by City of Charlottesville.

Peace talks

Charlottesville City Council passed a resolution on April 1 that calls for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The resolution was first introduced at the March 18 council meeting and failed, with three councilors voting no. Though he originally voted against the resolution, Councilor Brian Pinkston joined Councilors Michael Payne and Natalie Oschrin in support of the measure.

“I believe it’s important to change your mind and to revisit a decision if upon new information or further reflection you believe you made a mistake,” said Pinkston ahead of Monday’s vote. The councilor emphasized the importance of the resolution, given Charlottesville’s large refugee population and the national defense industry’s role in the local economy.

“I realize that there are also concerns about unintended consequences, especially in a place like Charlottesville,” said Pinkston. “I can only say that I’ve thought about that, and I still believe that this is the right and courageous thing to do.”

The packed City Council chamber erupted with applause after Pinkston’s remarks.

Echoing their colleague’s statement, Payne and Oschrin also emphasized the importance of the resolution.

“We lend our voice to many, so alone we might not be effective … we join all of your voices individually to become one of many, and that’s where we have power,” said Oschrin. Payne referred to his previous statements on the measure, but added, “I do think we have a very small voice, but still a voice to weigh in.”

In addition to a ceasefire, the resolution also calls for the immediate and safe release of all hostages and the entry and provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Council passed the measure 3-1, with Councilor Lloyd Snook abstaining and Mayor Juandiego Wade voting no.

Payment pains

University of Virginia President Jim Ryan will meet with graduate workers April 4 to discuss payment concerns.

The meeting comes after months of organizing by the UVA chapter of United Campus Workers of Virginia, and was prompted by the group’s presence at a March 1 Board of Visitors meeting. Organizers report continued problems with late stipend payments, despite previous promises from university officials.

In a December 4 statement to C-VILLE, UVA Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover said “the university is unaware of any systemic delays associated with graduate student stipends and funding. When isolated issues have occurred, schools and departments have acted quickly to resolve them.” This sentiment was echoed in March by Provost Ian Baucom, who acknowledged the protester’s presence and told the BOV that issues had previously been addressed, and more recent payment issues were limited in scope.

BBQ break in

Ace Biscuit & Barbecue will be closed for the next few weeks as the restaurant recovers from an apparent break in. On March 30, Ace posted photos on its Facebook page of smashed windows, bashed-in register screens, broken bottles, sinks, and toilets, and back rooms in disarray, writing that the incident happened overnight. According to CBS19, the damages totaled $50,000. In an April 1 Facebook post, Ace said, “We’re deeply moved by the overwhelming support from our community. Though our doors may be shut, our spirits remain unbroken.”

No smoke

Gov. Glenn Youngkin shot down a bill that would have legalized marijuana retail sales in Virginia, after previously stating, “Anybody who thinks I’m going to sign that legislation must have been smoking something.” The bill would have paved the way for retail markets to open in May 2025. Youngkin’s veto comes after his administration’s big push to open a new sports arena in Alexandria fell through. As a result, Virginians now live with uneven marijuana laws—it is legal to both possess and grow weed at home, but only medical marijuana is legal to purchase.

Station to station

Charlottesville Fire Department’s Station One, located along the 250 Bypass, will be rebuilt and reopened in spring 2025, with construction slated to be complete by that March and move-in by May. “The original Station One building has served this city well, and now the time has come for a much needed upgrade,” says Michael Thomas, CFD fire chief. “Station One will be built from the ground up to accommodate the 21st-century needs of the fire service and our growing city.” Concept drawings for the new station are available at charlottesville.gov.

Categories
News

Judge rules

Charlottesville resident Sara Stovall says she was stunned in 2017, when she found out health insurance for her family of four would cost nearly $3,000 a month with Optima. Photo by Eze Amos.

For nearly three years, the Department of Justice has investigated whether Sentara made false claims for $665 million in Affordable Care Act subsidies when it jacked its rates 266 percent in Charlottesville in 2017, making them the highest in the country.

In November, the DOJ took the unusual step of petitioning a federal judge to order Sentara, parent company of the now-renamed Optima Health and Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, to comply with its civil investigative demands. Judge Elizabeth Dillon ruled in favor of the government March 8.

During a December 19 hearing, Sentara lawyer Preston Pugh said the DOJ was attempting to “drum up public scandal” with its petition, according to a transcript of the proceeding. He asked that the courtroom be sealed and documents that had been temporarily sealed be permanently restricted, claiming the company would suffer “reputational damage.”

Laura Day Taylor, chief of the civil division for the Western District of Virginia, said Sentara’s motion “to close the courtroom and litigate this matter in secrecy is extraordinary, and according to the government’s research, it is also unprecedented.”

Judge Dillon agreed and kept the courtroom open, and in her order, unsealed most documents, including the petition itself.

Taylor said the government’s investigation was “under the False Claims Act into whether Sentara illegally took two-thirds of a billion dollars in taxpayer money.”

Sentara says the rates were okayed by state and federal regulators.

In response to the government’s civil investigative demands, Sentara had provided thousands of documents. But the DOJ realized it hadn’t received all relevant documents during a June 28, 2023, meeting, when Sentara put undisclosed documents in a PowerPoint presentation, according to the petition.

Those documents showed more involvement from then-CEO Howard Kern, and the DOJ wanted to interview Kern and previously interviewed execs—former Optima CEO Michael Dudley and chief actuary James Juillerat—in light of the new information. Sentara balked, according to the petition.

Sara Stovall is a Charlottesville resident who was stunned in 2017 when she learned health insurance for her family would cost nearly $3,000 a month with Optima, the only Affordable Care Act insurer available in this area at that time. She co-founded Charlottesville for Reasonable Health Insurance and was in court December 19.

She hadn’t realized Sentara’s top exec Kern was so involved in setting the Optima rates. “It’s disappointing because we were assured the rates were done at arm’s length from the parent company,” she says.

A now-unsealed document reveals Kern briefed Sentara’s board in August 2017 about the 82 percent average rate increase in Virginia, and he warned that “there could be a fair amount of scrutiny about the rate increase in local media coverage.”

“Sentara has provided more than 27,000 documents and approximately 70 hours of interviews from seven former and current employees to date in response to the DOJ’s inquiry,” says Sentara spokesperson Mike Kafka. “This recent ruling on procedural matters will help clarify the process moving forward. As it has for nearly three years, Sentara will continue to operate in good faith and looks forward to a resolution of this matter.”

Dillon ordered Sentara execs Dudley and Juillerat to provide additional testimony within 60 days.

In other Sentara news, the company is seeking a contract worth billions of dollars to manage Florida’s Medicaid program, according to The Capitolist. The state will award the contract by the end of this month.

Categories
News

In brief

U.S. Senator Tim Kaine participated in a roundtable with students at the Thomas Jefferson Adult Career Education division of Piedmont Virginia Community College on March 25. Photo from Office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine.
Learning experience

Sen. Tim Kaine visited the Thomas Jefferson Adult Career Education division of Piedmont Virginia Community College on March 25.

Located at Ix Art Park, TJACE works with adult learners to build education, language, and career skills. Classes through the center are free, ranging from English for Speakers of Other Languages courses to entrepreneurship classes for advanced and native English speakers.

Kaine’s tour of the PVCC Adult Career Education department was prompted by the senator’s work on the Jumpstart Our Business By Supporting Students and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity acts.

“Part of WIOA is to fund this program to help students who are in the United States who may have come from another country who speak another language to gain English fluency and get a GED and then get jobs. And we’re working on that bill right now,” said Kaine to a classroom of students. “I wanted to come today, because I felt like if I saw the classrooms here, and talk to the teachers, talk to the students, I can help persuade my colleagues.”

During his visit, Kaine spoke to students in several classes, including an elementary-level English course.

“You see these students who haven’t been here very long. And … see them go up in front of the board, and they’ve got a U.S. senator there, and they’ve got cameras there,” said Kaine. “It’s hard to learn a new language, but the teachers make it open and fun, and they take away the nervousness or anxiety. You can see the students were tackling this with some real competence.”

Several students told the senator about the challenges of immigration and settling into life in the United States. From an Uzbek oncologist, to Afghan refugees and Ukrainians in the country on humanitarian parole, PVCC Adult Career Education learners come from a wide variety of backgrounds. One common experience, though, is restrictions on working based on visa and immigration status.

“I think we need to make it easier for people to get work visas here, and certainly people who are here lawfully—as you are under an H4 visa,” said Kaine. “We should make it easier to work because every employer that I talk to tells me they’re having a hard time hiring people, the unemployment rate is very low.”

At the end of his visit, Kaine participated in a roundtable discussion with PVCC leaders and students from the center. All emphasized the needs for additional resources and further funding, something the senator echoed his support for.

“The fact that they have to turn students away, new Americans who are excited to get language skills, and then get jobs … we should want folks that have skills in the job,” said Kaine. “I feel like no matter what the lineup, whoever’s president, whoever’s got the majority in either house, JOBS is moving forward, because [of] the low unemployment rate. … WIOA can be a little bit more difficult. Some of WIOA involves provisions dealing with organized labor that Democrats tend to like and Republicans not.”

Homicide investigation

Albemarle County police are investigating a suspected homicide and suicide that occurred last weekend. Robert Shifflett contacted the department on Friday, March 22, to report his wife, Kristie, as missing. The investigation turned from a missing person’s case to a potential homicide after Kristie’s car was reported abandoned and police talked with Shifflett again on Saturday. Shifflett was found dead from a suspected suicide at Rockgate Cemetery on Sunday, March 24; the suspected remains of Kristie Shifflett were discovered in a makeshift grave later the same day. ACPD asks anyone with information to call 296-5808, or make an anonymous report through Crime Stoppers.

Principal of the matter

Charlottesville City Schools announced that Justin Malone has been named the new principal of Charlottesville High School. Malone, who takes the reins on July 1, previously worked as an assistant principal at CHS from 2013 to 2017, and is currently the principal of Jackson-Via Elementary School.

Burnout

The Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue responded to 19 fire-related calls after an outbreak of wildfires across the region on March 20. Large-scale fires at Taylors Gap, Blackberry Hill, and Piney Mountain burned over 400 acres of land, and led to evacuation orders and a declaration of local emergency. All three fires are now 100 percent contained, and Albemarle County remains under a burn ban until April 30.

Categories
News

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.

Categories
News

In brief

Del. Katrina Callsen (left) and state Sen. Creigh Deeds (right) are pessimistic about the future of gun legislation under Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Supplied photos.

Bill-ding blocks

Virginia’s state legislature adjourned on schedule March 9, with members saying they’d balanced the budget and passed a swath of bipartisan legislation.

The session—which ran for 60 days—was the first time Democrats held control of the legislature since the election of Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The governor signed 64 bills into law, amended 12 bills, and vetoed eight pieces of legislation prior to the session adjourning. In a surprise move, Youngkin approved a bill ensuring protections for same-sex marriage. His vetoes and amendments otherwise fell along party lines.

“I am grateful that my colleagues worked hard to get hundreds of bills through to the governor with at least some bipartisan support,” says 54th District Del. Katrina Callsen. “I was not thrilled to see those vetoes and amendments, but was proud that 64 bills fully passed before the end of session.”

Youngkin is still considering a number of bills passed by the state House and Senate, and Charlottesville representatives are concerned about the future of several items.

“Honestly, I worry about a lot of the bills we passed,” says state Sen. Creigh Deeds. “I worry that the governor will reject a lot of those bills in large part because we didn’t agree to his arena plan.”

A Youngkin-endorsed plan for the construction of a professional sports arena in Alexandria using taxpayer dollars was blocked during bipartisan budget discussions. Some Democrats are concerned the governor will retaliate by vetoing progressive legislative priorities—including gun-control bills put forward by Callsen and Deeds.

Among the eight bills already vetoed by the governor is House Bill 46/Senate Bill 47, which sought to regulate the transfer of firearms by people prohibited from ownership.

“I don’t think that veto bodes well for our bills,” says Deeds. “I’d like to think that [Youngkin will] look at every one individually, but I’m afraid he’s just gonna look at the majority of the gun bills with one thing in mind and then use red ink and veto them.”

While lawmakers have the ability to override the governor’s decision, Democrats do not have the two-thirds majority needed to bypass a veto when they reconvene in April.

“The people of the commonwealth spoke loud and clear last November, and they would like to see sensible gun violence prevention, protection of women’s health care, improving education, and protecting voting rights,” says 55th District Del. Amy Laufer. “I hope that we will see some changes in April that more align with those values.”

New to the legislature, Callsen and Laufer say they are proud of their achievements and enthusiastic about the work to come later this spring. Both junior delegates advanced multiple items of legislation to the governor’s desk, and Callsen was named Freshman Legislator of the Year by her peers.

Another major item to monitor in April is the budget, according to Deeds. The budget approved by the legislature includes a requirement for reentry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which will be difficult to line-item veto says the state senator.

“I think there’s a very real possibility that he vetoes the whole budget,” says Deeds. “I’m a little worried that we’ve got our work cut out for us in April.”

The Virginia state legislature reconvenes on April 17.

Gamemaker

The University of Virginia men’s basketball team starts its tournament run March 14 in the quarter-final round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. In order to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament this Selection Sunday, the Hoos, who have a double-bye for the ACC tourney, need a good showing Thursday night. UVA will face off against either Boston College, the University of Miami, or Clemson, all teams the Cavs beat during the regular season.

Keyes sentenced

Tadashi Keyes was sentenced to life in prison in Charlottesville Circuit Court on March 11 for the murder of Eldridge Smith. Prior to his death, Smith was a member of local violence interruption group Brothers United to Cease the Killing. Prosecutor Nina-Alice Antony called for the maximum sentence for Keyes, who was out on early release from a previous life sentence at the time of Smith’s murder. “This is a community and a commonwealth attorney’s office that believes in second chances, and sometimes even third and fourth chances,” said Antony. “Mr. Keyes was granted early release and given a second chance. But he chose to take that second chance, and his freedom, and execute Eldridge Smith in cold blood.” Over a dozen members of Smith’s family attended the hearing, and several expressed support for the sentence.

School shuffle

The Albemarle County School Board will hold a public hearing on redistricting recommendations on March 14 at 6:30pm. Current redistricting recommendations from Superintendent Matthew Haas would move 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.

Categories
News

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.