Williamsburg and James City County leaders are expected to vote Friday on a new contract for the joint school division.
The contract is the only action item listed on the agenda for Friday morning’s joint meeting of the Williamsburg City Council, the James City County Board of Supervisors and the Williamsburg-James City County School Board. The meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at the James City County Recreation Center on Longhill Road.
The vote will come after nearly a year since the city agreed to begin negotiations with the county for a new contract, which expired in June. Jim Icenhour, chair of the Board of Supervisors, had at one point hoped to have the contract decided before Labor Day. Icenhour said he is very happy that all three parties are nearing the end of discussions.
“I think we’ve said it all along, it’s everybody’s best interest that we all stay together in this operation,” Icenhour said Tuesday evening. “If we can come to the conclusion on Friday that that’s what we’re going to do, that would be wonderful.”
The issue goes back to June 2023, when City Council launched a study to see if it could operate as an independent public school system. The county in turn terminated the joint contract, which had existed since1955.
After the city’s study showed that a potential split would disrupt thousands of students and cost city taxpayers more than the arrangement, the city said it wanted to remain in a joint school system. This led to negotiations between the city and county — the school division’s two funding partners — over a new joint contract.
Last month, School Board Chair Sarah Ortego said [cq comment=”, school board chairwoman, announced to the school board that ” a a new agreement could come in the next few weeks.
Williamsburg Mayor Douglas Pons said Tuesday that the city is in a great position leading up to Friday’s decision. This, he said, is thanks to a renewed commitment to both student outcomes and achievement and providing funds meeting the division needs.
“I think we’ve worked out a solution that will help fund the schools in a way that meets the needs as they’ve prescribed them,” Pons said.
James W. Robinson, 757-799-0621, james.robinson@virginiamedia.com
