A new culture of cooperation between the School Board and City Council is finally here and the result is that the City is now addressing issues of K-12 school capacity, teacher pay/retention, and workforce development cooperatively with the City Schools.
I’ve been working with parents and City leaders for well over a year, on issues of school capacity and workforce development. You will recall the “Fund FXBG Schools” campaign (remember the pretty signs that popped up all over the City?). That was a grass-roots community effort that worked: it led City Council and the School Board to tap the breaks on spending $12-15 million to expand Lafayette Upper Elementary School, until we have a better understanding of the data, the scope of the challenge and all the possible options. Allocating that money last year would have precluded money being spent on creative, 21st Century solutions that address several issues at once.
A proposed Budget that works
Dr. Marci Catlett, our new school Superintendent, released her proposed budget at the last School Board meeting. Thanks to additional State funding resulting from adjustments to how our City’s cost burden is calculated, the proposed budget accomplishes a number of pressing needs at reasonable cost to the City. The budget includes positions for new teachers, coordinators and bus drivers, along with a 5% salary increases for in-school employees and employee benefit improvements. I think this budget should be a no-brainer for City Council.
The Capacity study moves forward
City Council and the School Board now have a Task Force that is studying the enrollment capacity problem. This is something Fund FXBG Schools pushed for, and our City leaders listened. I will continue to advocate for cost-effective alternatives to simply building a new school, since several key issues are involved here:
Another related issue is economic development: we need to attract more employers to our City, but currently we do not have a well-trained workforce here. To solve this vital need for a well-trained workforce and stimulate the local economy, I will continue to push for the creation of a vibrant workforce development program in 8-12th grades as part of any solution to school overcrowding.
I, along with numerous other residents, have been encouraging City officials for months now to investigate if the old Mary Washington Hospital building (2300 Fall Hill Avenue) could be adapted to house 11-12th grades and a new Career/Technical Education (CTE) program. City Council and the School Board will be touring the old hospital building soon to get a better sense of the possibilities. That’s a good start.
Complex, interrelated problems like school overcrowding, low graduation rates, the need for more economic development, and a poorly developed local workforce will not be solved in a “whack-a-Mole” approach where the issues are handled piecemeal in isolation from each other. It takes community involvement, strong leadership, and people working together on solutions that hit the “sweet spot” in overlapping issues. On City Council, I will work to build consensus and find solutions to overlapping problems that affect our economy, our schools, and our children’s futures. It’s time.
