Internet Disruption for 346,000 Virginians, Report Finds Racial Disparities in WJCC Schools, and more

Historic Triangle News Roundup April 21 - 27

Apr 28, 2024

What a week! I’ve been floored by the attention my post about WJCC school board member Michael Hosang’s email has received, as well as my podcast on the York County school board. Welcome to the new Round the Triangle subscribers, and thanks to all of you for reading, listening, and sharing my work!

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Let’s get to last week’s headlines:

**Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) support by county. Source: FCC**

Federal Internet Access Program to End This Month, Disrupting Service

The Affordable Connectivity Program provides internet discounts to qualifying households of $30/month or $75/month if on tribal land. The original $14.2 billion granted for the program by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law runs out this month.
23 million U.S. households are currently enrolled in the program, including 346,000 in Virginia. As of February 2024, there were 984 enrollees in Williamsburg, 2,444 in York County, and 3,502 in James City County.
Of participating households, 75% said their internet service would be disrupted by the program ending, that they would need to change their plan, or they would have to discontinue service altogether. You can learn more about the ACP here.

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Source: Virginia Department of Education School Quality Profiles

New Report Finds WJCC Student Disparities by Race, Disability, Income

This month, the Village Initiative published its sixth annual equity report looking at educational inequalities at Williamsburg-James City County school division, uncovering disparities that disproportionately impact underrepresented students.
The report shows that in the 2022-23 school year, Black students faced more disciplinary measures, accounting for 39% of short-term suspensions and 43% of long-term suspensions, despite making up only 18% of the student population.
The report calls for finding solutions to this disparity and others regardless of whether the school division splits or not. As part of a way forward, the report advocates for the education association to have collective bargaining rights.

Read the Report

Other Headlines

The Virginia Marine Resources Commission rejected a petition by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance to limit Omega Protein’s menhaden fishing. Virginia is the only state that permits reduction fishing in territorial waters.
Reporter Dwayne Yancey analyzed Virginia’s school funding formula, concluding that rising property values have skewed calculations where many poorer, rural counties are rated better able to pay for their schools than affluent counties.
Starting this Wednesday, eastbound traffic on I-64 heading into Norfolk will be rerouted onto the new North Trestle and then into the existing tunnel as part of the ongoing Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project.