WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg City Council provided an update on its continued study and research to determine the future of the current Williamsburg-James City County (WJCC) school system at its Sept. 12 meeting.
Williamsburg and James City County schools are slated to separate before the 2028-29 school year per a decision made by James City County in July 2023, however, the city noted that both jurisdictions have purposefully kept open the possibility of restructuring the joint school district agreement to remain united.
Williamsburg City Council Council said that it anticipates both localities will keep planning for what individual school districts could look like while simultaneously working to potentially remain together.
“Evaluating joint operating models and funding mechanisms governing other joint school divisions inside and outside of Virginia will provide WJCC Schools, James City County, and the City of Williamsburg the ability to collaborate on a potentially modernized joint operating structure that better serves both communities should the decision be made to remain in the current joint school district,” the city said.
The mayor and council members reiterated that the city believes there is no issue more important than providing a “world-class education” for its young people, adding recent findings demonstrate that Williamsburg students have been falling behind in several academic areas. The council’s focus is on fixing this, it said, whether that be in a restructured and revitalized joint school system with James City County or independently.
The council said it knows its constituents want the best school system possible for its students, as well as the need for finality on the issue.
The city said the council also received the WJCC School Board’s response to its request for an action plan regarding city student performance in August. Both the city’s request letter and the WJCC response can be found at williamsburgva.gov/feasibilitystudy.
James City County Responds
James City Country responded Friday evening.
“The City of Williamsburg issued a news release today that indicated that the James City County Board of Supervisors took the lead in terminating our existing Contract for the Joint Operations of Schools. While technically correct, the Board took this action in July 2023 in response to the Williamsburg City Council’s June 2023 vote to explore the feasibility of splitting the school operations,” it said.
The county noted that the joint school system has operated since 1955, with the Contract for the Joint Operation of Schools typically renewed every few years, most recently in May 2022. The county said its representatives were notified about the city’s plan to study the feasibility of a school system split only two days before the public announcement.
“As a long-term partner with the city in funding our school system, the county was surprised to have not been involved in the conversation earlier,” the county said. “The county was later informed that state legislators had been approached by the city months earlier to discuss this issue. Given the city’s prior discussion with state legislators and the lack of transparency, the board believed that the city council’s intention was to terminate the contract.”
The county cautioned if the split occurs, it would need to find classroom space for more than 600 displaced students and would likely require the construction of a new middle school — something it said would be a four-year process.
“No matter what the outcome, the county’s top priority is to minimize disruption to students and their families while continuing to provide high-quality education,” the county said.
“Nearly eighteen months have passed since the city made its initial announcement, and their intention remains as unclear as the day it was released,” county officials continued. “In an effort to prepare for the impact of a potential split, the county commissioned its own study to assess the logistics and feasibility of operating a separate school system. The county’s consultant will be conducting public meetings in October.”
The county said it is open to renegotiating the current contract.
“The Board of Supervisors remains open to renegotiating the contract so that it more fairly distributes cost, representation and provides an excellent educational system for our students,” the county said. “The Board and County staff are meeting frequently with the City and requested in an Aug. 12 letter to the Mayor that the city indicate a decision or at least a preference by Oct. 1, 2024. The Board continues to await a response from city council and looks forward to providing a path that our community can support.”
The next Williamsburg City Council meeting will be on Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. in the Stryker Center.
