At its September 11 meeting, the Albemarle School Board grappled with what direction to give the school division’s Long Range Planning Advisory Committee (LRPAC) to address future overcrowding in county high schools. The board was given three options at its August 14 meeting to consider: 1) build another auxiliary academy following the “high school center” model; 2) add classroom space to the existing high school buildings; or 3) construct a new comprehensive high school on land near Rt. 29 north of the Rivanna River.
Instead of choosing one option, however, the board asked for a “some of the above” approach, combining near-term expansions of existing high schools plus a subsequent new high school. “The LRPAC is charged with providing a needs-based plan,” said ACPS CEO Rosalyn Schmitt in response to questions about how any proposal would be funded. “Funding sources and affordability [will be] a good joint-board conversation,” referring to later meetings scheduled between the School Board and Board of Supervisors.
Still, county officials acknowledged that affordability will be the chief limiting principle for any plan, as the costs involved are significant and will only increase in future years. In current dollars (not accounting for inflation), the three revised options break out this way: A new remote “academy” center plus an addition at Western Albemarle High School would add 1,000 seats overall and cost $75 to $95 million; a set of expansions on all three high schools would add 800 seats and cost $65 to $80 million; and a new comprehensive high school would add 1,300 to 1,600 seats and cost $110 to $200 million.
Several School Board members talked about a potential 1% sales tax increase statewide that could be implemented by localities under Virginia’s next governor and dedicated to education funding. The tax hike legislation was twice rejected by current Governor Glenn Youngkin because of his opposition to new taxes in general, and because he contended the bill would have allowed the tax revenue to be “fungible”—meaning it could be spent by local governments on other projects besides school improvements. Anticipating a governor more amenable to the provision in the near future, board members were already including potential tax revenues in their scenarios…