WILLIAMSBURG — Tax rates, student test scores and the school division’s joint contract were among key issues discussed Wednesday at a forum for the James City County Board of Supervisors and School Board.
More than 60 people filled the Williamsburg Regional Library theater to listen to supervisor candidates Jim Icenhour and Tracy Wainwright and school board candidates Ty Hodges, Kimberley Hundley and Sarah Ortego. John Slokowitz, who is challenging Icenhour, and Ti’Juana Gholson, who is running against Wainwright, did not attend because of other commitments. The forum was hosted by WHRO Public Media and Williamsburg Watch.
Topics ranged from county tax rate decreases and the preservation of green space to the proposed new government center and the state’s increasing of pass minimums for the Standards of Learning tests. The contract for the Williamsburg-James City County Schools division, which is expected to come up for a vote Friday, was also discussed.
Candidates Jim Icenhour, Tracy Wainwright, Ty Hodges, Kimberley Hundley and Sarah Ortego each took questions on various issues affecting James City County issues. James W. Robinson/The Virginia Gazette
Supervisor candidates were asked about county residents’ tax bills rising 21% in the past two years on top of property values. Wainwright, a Republican running for the Powhatan district seat, said it would be a good idea to reduce the tax burden on citizens. Democrat Icenhour, the incumbent for the Jamestown district seat, also said he would support a decrease, saying he wanted to reduce the rate permanently, but did not have support from the supervisor majority. He said in the past, he was able to get a $0.05 cent tax credit using reserves that supervisors built up.
On preserving the county’s green space, Icenhour said the county has established “purchase and development rights,” which preserves land throughout the county. Wainwright pointed to the amount of park space in the county, saying that the county’s 17 parks well exceed the recommended park space of 10 acres per 1,000 residents.
“I did some quick math calculations and that would be 850 acres of park space. We have over 1,700,” Wainwright said.
School board candidates, meanwhile, were asked where they stand on the state Board of Education raising the bar for student SOL pass rates. Ortego, the incumbent and current school board chair, said she is in favor of higher standards, however, she noted that implementing them without time to adjust would place a burden on teachers. SOL scores tend to measure schools and teachers more than students, she said.
Hodges, who is challenging Ortego for the Jamestown district seat on the school board, said that while seeing students achieve is not bad, not every student thrives in a SOL testing environment. He said plenty of students are good at different fields such as mechanics and computers, noting they should not be “pigeon-holed” into the standardized testing model.
Hundley, who is running unopposed to keep her seat in the Powhatan district, said she is against raising the bar higher without support for students, saying that test scores do not define the division’s students.
The school division’s joint contract also came up for discussion. Williamsburg and James City County have been negotiating for the past year on a new contract, which expired this summer. The contract had been terminated by the county after the city decided to explore whether it could support an independent school district. Ultimately, both localities decided to maintain a joint system.
When asked why details on the contract have not been not been released, Ortego only shared that negotiations have been ongoing and they look “forward to our announcement on Friday.” Hodges said he was not concerned with the lack of details, but wants the deal to be what’s right for the schools.
“As long as our students and teachers are taken care of and whatever that agreement ends up looking like,” Hodges said.
Hundley compared the negotiation process to two parents deciding between getting a divorce or staying together and not having a lot of details. The city and county are better together, she said.
The candidate forum can be viewed online at whro.org/elections/2025-10-08/watch-candidates-for-james-city-county-boards-answer-questions-live.
James W. Robinson, 757-799-0621, james.robinson@virginiamedia.com
