As reported in the Daily Progress, the Albemarle County School Board will likely have to cut 40 positions, including 22 teacher slots, following the Board of Supervisors refusal to increase or even keep the same our property tax rates.

The teacher cuts will result in larger class sizes (by one student per class, grades 4 to 12). Deeper cuts were only avoided by the School Board's decision to use a one-time infusion of money for recurring costs, which allowed to avoid letting two elementary school principals go.

The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors voted 4-2 to keep the property tax rate at the same level as before, resulting in a decrease in revenues for schools and other services because property values have fallen.

The vote, while expected due to the conservative make up of the board, flew in the face of the overwhelming support for increased revenue voiced at the most recent public hearing.

The upside: state reductions may not be as deep as feared, though final numbers are as yet unknown. But county schools will still be forced to lay off teachers and make other cuts in programs.

Read the Daily Progress here.

"Calls for school funding dominate Albemarle budget hearing" proclaimed the headline from this week's C-Ville.

From the other local weekly, The Hook wrote in its regular "4BetterOrWorse" column:
"Biggest public outcry: Citizens let Albemarle supes know at a March 3 meeting that they don't like cuts to education."

As the county supervisors huddle for weekly working sessions, the anger over education reductions and the acceptance that revenue increases are necessary continues to grow...

Looks like the county is considering new criteria for choosing which teachers stay and which teachers go, in advance of expected job cuts, according to the Daily Progress.

Citizens wishing to speak at this Wednesday's Board of Supervisors meeting may sign up on a list that will be posted at 5 pm that same day -- an hour later than previously reported.

This update comes from the Albemarle County Parent Council, along with more information about the March 3 meeting:

Much information has been distributed about the BOS Public Hearing on March 3rd — both by Parent Council and by individual parents — that contains either information that has changed or was wrong. Please send this to anyone considering attending and /or speaking at the hearing.

Telephone queries to the BOS office today confirmed the following:

The sign-up sheets for speakers will be released at 5:00 pm. Five o’clock, not 4:00. The BOS office anticipates a line waiting for the sheets to be put out.

They will be placed on a table in the front right of the auditorium — same place as the sign in for the School Board public hearing and same as in previous years.

People wishing to sign up may sign only one name, not two.

While the entire auditorium will be opened, including the balcony, the BOS office anticipates enough people that they are currently planning to provide seating in the Lobby, Room 235 (just off the lobby), and Room 241 (just past the lobby, further down the hall). While audio streams from the auditorium to Room 235, it doesn’t to the other two spaces. They are currently working on providing audio to those spaces.

Anticipate large crowds in all areas near the auditorium. Please consider carpooling with other parents from your school community or neighborhood.

Parent Council will be providing veggies, pizza, cookies and water in Room 246 (go past the Auditorium, all the way down the hall, and turn right). Our recommendation is that you find a seat first, then come get a snack.

On presenting the strongest possible support for ACPS.

Parent Council has received consistent advice from a number of people close to this Board of Supervisors, relating the following:

1. BOS members who ran for office on a platform in support of education must be reminded of their stated position.
2. This BOS is pro-business, pro-economic development. During their first meeting of the year, the BOS passed a resolution in favor of economic development. Concerns about economic development in the county are at the top of their priority list. They are likely to be more responsive to presentations that acknowledge that.
3. While emails are important, of far more importance is the sheer numbers that turn out for the hearings, stand up in support of their issues, and stay until the very end.
4. Finally, students speaking concisely, eloquently, “non-whiningly” and to the issue can have an incredible impact. 
   

County Executive Robert Tuckers created a county budget proposal that failed to adjust the property tax rate and, so, calls for massive cuts in services to public schools and other services.

"...I think the community needs to start looking at the tax rate sooner rather than later," says Board of Education at-large member Brian Wheeler in a Daily Progress article that provides a nice overview of the situation. In the same piece, Supervisor Dennis Rooker noted that the county has one of the lowest tax rates in the state.

Catch tonight's story airing on Channel 19 Newsplex featuring Property Owners for Great Schools and the debate over how to close our schools' budget gap:

"A group of parents in Albemarle County said they want their taxes raised to help the school system as it faces a multimillion-dollar shortfall. The ultimate decision comes from the Board of Supervisors, who have not collectively taken a stance on the issue." Video Here. Words Here.

"Newsplex" Channel 19, Charlottesville's CBS affiliate, is likely to air a piece tonight featuring Property Owners for Great Schools and the swelling number of county residents willing to pay more in taxes to keep our schools great.

Albemarle County Board of Education member Eric Strucko will meet with folks tonight at 6 pm at Meriwether Lewis School on Owensville Road.