York County Cuts School Spending, School Board Cancels Rightwing-led Retreat, and more
York County Cuts School Spending, School Board Cancels Rightwing-led Retreat, and more
Historic Triangle News Roundup May 5 - 11
Happy Mother’s Day! Shout out to my mom Colleen who provided love and care for my siblings and me growing up and showed us how to be critical thinkers and serve our community. Love you mama!
Let’s get to the top headlines:
York County cuts spending for schools in $266 million budget
Passed this week, the budget also made cuts to public works and capital projects in order to make reductions to real estate and personal property taxes. Some Board of Supervisors members criticized lack of transparency in the process.
Vice Chair Sheila Noll insinuated parts of the budget process happened “in the back room” and was dismayed that the board was reducing school spending for the first time. Board member Thomas Shepperd called the process “disrespectul.”
Williamsburg City Council also passed its $94.5 million budget for FY2025 this week, with the tax rate remaining the same and school spending increased. James City County is expected to pass its budget this week with possible tax credits.
York County School Board Cancels Retreat after Possible FOIA Violation
The retreat, originally planned for this Friday, was canceled after the board’s attorney and outside counsel expressed concerns that the delayed announcement of the meeting date and agenda could violate open meeting laws.
The retreat was supposed to be led by the controversial rightwing group School Board Member Alliance, which the board had considered purchasing policy services from in March before reversing that decision in April.
Board members Richardson and Shafer both condemned SBMA executive director Sherri Story’s past social media comments, which Shafer characterized as racially insensitive at best, “probably racist at worst.”
Students walked out in protest during Governor Youngkin’s speech at the VCU commencement ceremony this week. Video by @BradKutner on X.
Other headlines:
The Shenandoah County school board voted to restore Confederate names to two schools this week, reversing a 2020 decision. I’m working with others to change school names tied to slavery in the Historic Triangle. Join the FB group!
Over 125 students and others have been arrested at VA universities for protesting Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. The Biden administration announced this week that it had paused a bomb shipment to Israel and may withold more.
Christiansburg multimillionaire James C. Jones Jr. was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison this week. He “has not paid one cent in taxes” in “over a decade” a DOJ tax attorney wrote, and he hid luxury apartments and a car collection from the IRS.
Heads Up
Phone scams are on the rise from numbers claiming to be law enforcement.
Water meters in Williamsburg will be replaced starting this week.
Tenants facing eviction can find help at FightMyEviction.org and NoDesalojo.org.
Upcoming Events
When: Saturday, May 18 at 7 PM
Where: 157 Bernard Road, Fort Monroe
When: Saturday, May 18, 9 AM to 5 PM
Where: Jamestown Settlement, 2110 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg
Afrofuturism in Costume Design Exhibition:
When: Now until Dec 1
Where: Jamestown Settlement, 2110 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg