WILLIAMSBURG— The Williamsburg-James City County School Board, Williamsburg City Council and James City County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to enter a funding contract for the joint operation of the WJCC School System at a meeting of all three boards Friday, Oct. 10.
“This new agreement affirms we are stronger when we work together to support our students,” Sarah G. Ortego, WJCC School Board Chair, said. “For the first time, the school division is a named party to the agreement, reflecting our shared responsibility and mutual commitment to the success of every child we serve. As we move forward, we remain united in purpose — pursuing excellence and championing the success of every student.”
According to a joint announcement by the three parties, they have agreed to a modernized approach to operating and capital costs that also aims to strengthen student outcomes through a contract that:
- Invests in the System: To ensure the best possible educational opportunities and outcomes for all city and county students, WJCC Schools said it needs the appropriate resources to establish competitive teacher pay, innovate beyond Standards of Quality to improve student performance, and enhance student support for those who need it most. The new joint contract ensures more investment from the localities, immediately establishing operational contributions in Fiscal Year 2027 as $104,500,000 from James City County and $14,450,000 from the City of Williamsburg.
- Adjusts for Enrollment: Local contributions from James City County and the City of Williamsburg will be adjusted each year, starting in FY2028, based on the increase or decrease in student enrollment from each locality, the parties said.
- Simplifies Capital Funding: James City County and the City of Williamsburg will be responsible for funding capital projects within their respective localities, although both localities will contribute to capital expenses for shared facilities, such as the Administration Building, Operations Center and Cooley Field.
- Establishes Predictable and Planned Annual Funding: This contract flips the current budget process for WJCC by requiring the localities to provide an initial budget for operating costs to the school division in October of each year. WJCC will then develop its operating budget within those funding parameters, with an opportunity to request additional funds for specific student performance-related enhancements.
- Drives Investment in Student Outcomes: The new contract restructures the schedule of joint meetings among the school board, Board of Supervisors, and City Council so that division-wide and community-specific student performance data will be the driver for budget requests, ensuring outcomes receive prominent attention in the annual budget conversation.
- October: The new contract establishes a third joint meeting specifically for discussing student performance data, strategies to strengthen those outcomes, and delivery of an initial budget from the localities.
- December: The school system will discuss capital needs with the localities, either jointly with all three boards or in separate meetings with each locality.
- February: All three boards will discuss the operating budget, during which WJCC Schools may follow up on its strategies to strengthen student outcomes. During this meeting, WJCC would identify any funding needs that exceed the initial locality budgets and correspond with performance enhancement strategies to make any requests that would increase contributions beyond the contract’s funding formula.
- Restructures School Board Governance: The new contract adds the WJCC School Board as a party alongside James City County and the City of Williamsburg, saying that this demonstrates each entity’s commitment to partnership and shared governance while further strengthening the link between funding and student outcomes. It also gives the JCC Board of Supervisors the option to add two new seats to the school board to reflect the county’s potential population growth.
In 2023, James City County’s Board of Supervisors elected to preemptively terminate the Contract for the Joint Operations between James City County and the City of Williamsburg. According to the county, the action was taken to ensure it has as much time as possible to prepare for the implications of a system split brought on by the action of the Williamsburg City Council, which had voted unanimously a month earlier to launch a feasibility study regarding the possibility of running its own school system.
In 2024, that feasibility study, commissioned by the City of Williamsburg, showed how Williamsburg and JCC would fare if they were to split and establish individual school districts. The James City County Board of Supervisors was presented with a Feasibility Study and Transition Plan for creating a separate Pre-K-12 school division ahead of possible deconsolidation of the joint Williamsburg-James City School division later that same year.
When the contract was originally terminated, the plan was to revisit the contract during the 2025-26 school year.
“After many months of discussion, we are pleased to have arrived at an equitable agreement that best serves students and their families, as well as the wonderful educators and support staff who are part of WJCC Schools,” said Jim Icenhour, James City County Board of Supervisors Chair. “We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the City of Williamsburg and the WJCC School Board to support the high-quality educational system that makes our community so special.”
According to the announcement, the contract takes effect Oct. 10 and cannot be modified before Jan. 1, 2030.
“The new contract marks a significant step forward for our community’s educational system,” Mayor Douglas G. Pons said. “The Williamsburg City Council is proud to invest more money within a funding structure that better supports strategies to strengthen student performance. This contract highlights the strong partnership among the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and Williamsburg-James City County School Board as we work together to prioritize the best interests of our students.”
For more information on upcoming meetings, please visit the official WJCC School Board, James City County Board of Supervisors and Williamsburg City Council websites.
- October: The new contract establishes a third joint meeting specifically for discussing student performance data, strategies to strengthen those outcomes, and delivery of an initial budget from the localities.
- December: The school system will discuss capital needs with the localities, either jointly with all three boards or in separate meetings with each locality.
- February: All three boards will discuss the operating budget, during which WJCC Schools may follow up on its strategies to strengthen student outcomes. During this meeting, WJCC would identify any funding needs that exceed the initial locality budgets and correspond with performance enhancement strategies to make any requests that would increase contributions beyond the contract’s funding formula.
In 2023, James City County’s Board of Supervisors elected to preemptively terminate the Contract for the Joint Operations between James City County and the City of Williamsburg. According to the county, the action was taken to ensure it has as much time as possible to prepare for the implications of a system split brought on by the action of the Williamsburg City Council, which had voted unanimously a month earlier to launch a feasibility study regarding the possibility of running its own school system.
In 2024, that feasibility study, commissioned by the City of Williamsburg, showed how Williamsburg and JCC would fare if they were to split and establish individual school districts. The James City County Board of Supervisors was presented with a Feasibility Study and Transition Plan for creating a separate Pre-K-12 school division ahead of possible deconsolidation of the joint Williamsburg-James City School division later that same year.
When the contract was originally terminated, the plan was to revisit the contract during the 2025-26 school year.
“After many months of discussion, we are pleased to have arrived at an equitable agreement that best serves students and their families, as well as the wonderful educators and support staff who are part of WJCC Schools,” said Jim Icenhour, James City County Board of Supervisors Chair. “We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the City of Williamsburg and the WJCC School Board to support the high-quality educational system that makes our community so special.”
According to the announcement, the contract takes effect Oct. 10 and cannot be modified before Jan. 1, 2030.
“The new contract marks a significant step forward for our community’s educational system,” Mayor Douglas G. Pons said. “The Williamsburg City Council is proud to invest more money within a funding structure that better supports strategies to strengthen student performance. This contract highlights the strong partnership among the City of Williamsburg, James City County, and Williamsburg-James City County School Board as we work together to prioritize the best interests of our students.”
For more information on upcoming meetings, please visit the official WJCC School Board, James City County Board of Supervisors and Williamsburg City Council websites.
