Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Charlottesville school board urges Richmond to pool preschool slots, backs math and funding bills
Summary
At a meeting with state lawmakers, the Charlottesville City School Board pressed for preschool dollars and slots to be pooled across 3- and 4-year-olds, urged support for a math "numeracy" funding bill and asked lawmakers to keep school construction financing on the agenda despite earlier vetoes.
The Charlottesville City School Board asked state lawmakers on Monday evening to make preschool funding more flexible, pressing for a single pool of dollars and slots that would cover both 3- and 4-year-olds so the district can allocate seats based on local needs.
"A concern that was brought forth by our preschool team is that slots are allocated by age, as opposed to holistically for preschool," said Miss Dooley, a board member, describing how age‑based allocations create a "shuffle" that complicates the district's ability to identify how many students it can serve.
Board members said they would prepare advocacy materials for the General Assembly and asked lawmakers to consider the matter as a budget amendment rather than a standalone bill. Delegate Carlson said lawmakers can help identify the right appropriations sponsors and encouraged the district to provide a one‑page summary for legislators to carry to the House and Senate appropriations processes.
Why it matters: The change requested would give Charlottesville flexibility to place children in preschool slots as demand and local program design require rather than hold separate allocations for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds. Lawmakers said combining slots into a single pool may be addressed through the budget process, which requires coordination with the chairs of education and appropriations subcommittees.
State lawmakers at the meeting also reviewed related education legislation the board should expect this session. Delegate Carlson described the pending "math numeracy act," a proposal she said would create funding for math specialists and provide incentives to recruit math teachers in districts struggling to staff those positions. "I would love to carry that," Carlson said, noting she has a background in math education and supports targeted funds rather than unfunded mandates.
Board members also pressed lawmakers about longstanding school construction financing, including a 1% optional sales-tax measure that has been proposed as a local option to raise money for building projects. Delegate Carlson said a version of that bill passed the General Assembly previously but was vetoed by the governor and that an override attempt failed; she said the measure could be reintroduced but faces strict limits on how many bills lawmakers can file and a likely veto risk.
What lawmakers said: Senator Deeds framed the broader funding challenge succinctly: "Everything comes down to funding," he said, urging the district to stay engaged with JLARC and other funding-reform workgroups and to provide legislators with clear, evidence-based requests. Both lawmakers encouraged continued local attendance at hearings and repeated advocacy in Richmond.
The next steps: Board members were advised to prepare concise materials for appropriations committee members and to follow the budget-amendment path for the preschool allocation request. Lawmakers warned that some proposals will need co‑patrons on the relevant appropriations or education subcommittees to advance.
The meeting did not include any formal votes on state bills; lawmakers said most of the items discussed are likely to be pursued through the 2025 session and through budget work rather than immediate statute changes.
