The new year will bring five new faces to the Williamsburg-James City County School Board after 2015 saw three new members elected to represent James City County, the city name a new representative after Elise Emanuel chose not to seek reappointment, and Joe Fuentes (Powhatan) announce he would resign from his seat in January.
Find these stories and more highlights from the year in WYDaily’s annual review.
January
- The Williamsburg-James City County School Board started 2015 by electing new leadership. Jim Kelly (Jamestown) moved into the chairman role, while Heather Cordasco (Roberts) was appointed vice chairman. Jim Nickols (Stonehouse) was chosen as the board’s parliamentarian.
- The City of Williamsburg had a new representative start her first term on the WJCC school board. Kyra Cook sat down with WYDaily to talk about her leadership style and goals for the school division.
- The Williamsburg City Council approved the school division’s plan for a new middle school within the city’s borders – where the James Blair administration office is located – that calls for the construction of a 950-seat school over two phases at a total cost of $61 million through 2024.
- School Board members voted unanimously to schedule its meetings 30 minutes earlier. Board meetings and work sessions now begin at 6:30 p.m., rather than 7 p.m.
February
- After winter weather derailed a week’s worth of classes, Williamsburg-James City County Schools Superintendent Steve Constantino announced a plan to address lost instructional time at the elementary school level.
- Heather Cordasco, the school board’s vice chairwoman, announced she would seek the Republican nomination for the Roberts seat on the James City County Board of Supervisors.
March
- Superintendent Steve Constantino unveiled a proposed budget for the division for fiscal 2016 that is more than $2.9 million bigger than last year’s at $124.4 million.
- The school board approved Constantino’s budget proposal, which included raises for WJCC employees and initial funding for a fourth middle school.
April
- Though James City County’s proposed budget fell more than $600,000 short of WJCC’s contribution request, School Board Chairman Jim Kelly (Jamestown) said the local contributions from the county and City of Williamsburg do what they “[need] to do for our purposes.”
- The school board began considering whether to launch a facilities index study, which would assess the current state of the school division’s buildings.
- The board approved a contract with Virginia Beach-based Waller Todd Sadler to draft designs for the proposed middle school.
- School board member Ruth Larson (Berkeley) announced her campaign to challenge former Board of Supervisors chairwoman Mary Jones (Berkeley) in the Nov. 3 general election.
May
- Warhill High School was one of 104 schools nationwide to be named a Mix It Up Model School by Teaching Tolerance, a program sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center that helps schools educate students on diversity issues.
- The board adopted a $134.5 million budget for fiscal year 2016.
- The installation of a new video security system provided by Op Tech that will allow administrators to access school security systems and cameras remotely or on site at the school buildings was approved.
- Toano Middle School students were part of a pilot program to increase the use of technology in and outside of the classroom.
June
- Superintendent Steve Constantino received a four-year contract extension, keeping him with WJCC through June 2019.
- A temporary 11-minute extension of the elementary school day was made permanent, officially built into the bell schedule starting with the 2015-16 school year.
- Warhill High School received one of five $50,000 high school innovation planning grants aimed at transforming the state’s educational model.
July
- The WJCC School Board considered a proposal to raise tuition costs for non-resident students.
August
- The school board reviewed a conceptual update on the fourth middle school. Superintendent Steven Constantino outlined four essential criteria: design should be suitable for a 35- to 50-year lifespan; maximize the ability to personalize learning for students; foster opportunities to STEM; able to adjust to technology changes.
- The Williamsburg-James City County Schools Foundation, a nonprofit formed last fall with the purpose of encouraging creativity in the classroom, unveiled its Innovative Learning Grants at the divisionwide convocation ceremony.
September
- Jamestown High concluded a second year of upgrades and improvements as part of a three-year refurbishment.
- Students in Williamsburg-James City County Schools returned to class after a summer of changes in their school divisions. WYDaily outlined new policies and practices.
- Architects designing a fourth middle school for the Williamsburg-James City County school division announced they are targeting a September 2018 opening date for the first phase of the project.
October
- First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe visited the Bumblebee Garden at J. Blaine Blayton Elementary, read to first-graders and met with students during lunchtime to kick off Farm-to-School Week, which heightens awareness of Virginia’s fresh food options and connects schools with potential farm partners.
- Williamsburg-James City County Schools hosted its third annual Manufacturing Day, which introduces students to a variety of career opportunities in the manufacturing industry.The city put out a call for applicants interested in serving as one of its two appointed representatives on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board after Elise Emanuel decided not to seek appointment to a fourth term.
- Candidates for the Williamsburg-James City County School Board voiced their stances on the fourth middle school, security and standardized testing during a forum.
- Warhill High School’s Project Lead the Way earned national certification.
- The JCC Board of Supervisors voted in favor of using unspent funds on a textbook purchase but unanimously agreed to postpone a vote on buying new buses because members said they did not have enough information to make a decision.
November
- Two rooms in Berkeley Middle School containing exposed asbestos-contaminated insulation were identified and cleaned, with no health risk remaining once the work was done.
- James City County residents voted three new representatives to the school board. Holly Taylor defeated incumbent Jim Nickols to represent the Stonehouse District. Sandy Young and Jim Beers defeated fellow newcomers to represent the Berkeley and Roberts districts, respectively.
- Jamestown High School runners won’t be pounding the pavement of their own outdoor track this year, as contractor issues have delayed the completion of the track’s new running surface.
- The school board reviewed the proposed Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2017-2026 for the first time. The review included the board members’ first look at the outcome of the facility conditions index.
December
- For the second time in nine straight years of performing at the Virginia High School League state theater festival, Lafayette High School took home the top prize in its class.
- City Council chose from three applicants interested in joining the Williamsburg-James City County School Board, selecting Julie Hummel to fill the position. Hummel, the associate director of program development and innovation for the undergraduate business program at the College of William & Mary, had previously received the endorsement of outgoing school board member Elise Emanuel.
- The three new James City County school board representatives were sworn in to office.
- Emails, petitions and public comments paid off for Lafayette High School parents when the school board adopted a revised 10-year Capital Improvement Plan that included three athletic facility items proposed for funding in the next three fiscal years.
- A special use permit request for the fourth middle school received the support of the City of Williamsburg Planning Commission.
- Powhatan representative Joe Fuentes announced he is resigning from the school board after nearly 10 years of service.
- The WJCC Schools Foundation has selected recipients for its first round of Innovative Learning Grants and plans to announce the winners in January.
