Rezoning Updates: Revised Timeline
Charlottesville City School News: We appreciate all the community’s feedback as we continue to plan for the rezoning of our elementary schools.
To enable the Advisory Committee for Rezoning to meet in person (after its original meeting shifted online due to snow), Charlottesville City Schools is delaying the timeline for rezoning decisions. We hope to release the recommendation by the end of January.
Johnson Earns EPA Energy Star Certification
Bravo to Johnson Elementary for earning EPA Energy Star Certification for superior energy performance! Energy Star-certified buildings are verified to perform in the top 25 percent of buildings nationwide, based on weather normalized source energy use that considers occupancy, hours of operation, and other key metrics. On average, Energy Star-certified buildings use 35 percent less energy, cause 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and are less expensive to operate than their peers—all without sacrifices in performance or comfort.
Elaina Pierce Named Gatorade’s Player of the Year for Virginia Girls Cross Country
Junior Elaina Pierce has won the top honor in high school sports – she is Gatorade’s 2024-25 Girls Cross Country Player of the Year, the first CHS student to receive the recognition. In addition to winning the class 4 cross country state title in 2024, Pierce also won outdoor and indoor track state titles in 2024, plus she is a commanding presence on the school’s dominant basketball team. The award also recognizes athletes’ accomplishments in the classroom and in the community. Congratulations! Learn more about Elaina’s accomplishments here.
Student Writers (and Spellers) Excel in Local Competitions
Two Cville Schools students are being honored for their writing. Congratulations to Buford 8th grader Risa McWhorter (left) for her winning entry in Writer’s Eye 2024, the Fralin Museum of Art’s annual poetry and prose competition. Her entry will be published in the forthcoming 2024 Writer’s Eye Anthology. Congratulations also to CHS freshman Liv Cordano (right) for winning second place in the “Voices of Democracy: What Democracy Means to Me” essay contest presented by The Equity Center and the Karsh Institute of Democracy. In her piece, Liv wrote that democracy gives “a voice to the voiceless,” even when “the sound never carries.” Click this link to read Liv’s essay. And congrats to Oliver Petralia and SJ Wiles, winner and alternate of the Walker spelling bee!
2024 CHS State Champion Athletes Honored
At Friday night’s basketball games, CHS honored our 2024 spring state champions:
- Boys soccer
- Boys tennis
- Elaina Pierce (track/field: 1600M)
The athletes received their rings and got a huge round of applause from the Black Knight crowd. Congratulations again!
School Board Updates, Including Budget
For all the updates from the January School Board meeting, check out the Mini Minutes. Of note in Board business, the new Board Chair is Emily Dooley and Vice Chair is Amanda Burns.
Upcoming Budget Meetings:
- School Board Budget Work Session: Thursday, January 30, 5pm, Walker
- February Board meeting: Thursday, February 6, 5pm, CHS
- City Council and School Board Joint Budget Work Session: Monday, February 10, 5pm, Walker
Interested in future meetings? Community members can sign up to receive notices of School Board meetings. Staff and Cville Schools families will automatically receive notices.
Concerns for our Immigrant and Refugee Communities
We know many of you have concerns for your own families or for families you know and love. We continue to follow this issue closely, and we have been checking in with our lawyer, area school divisions, and community partners, including Sin Barreras. We are sharing information with potentially impacted families and communities as needed.
Safety Update on the School Board Agenda in February
As part of our continual evaluation of our work to promote safety in our schools, last spring the schools gathered public feedback about whether to explore the possibility of adding specially trained police officers to our safety model. In May 2024, the Board requested further evaluation of our safety model before making decisions about the issue. This fall, a firm conducted an audit of our current practices. The Board received the firm’s report during a work session in December. (Schools and public organizations are authorized to have safety conversations in closed session to avoid creating a security risk by discussing specific safety matters publicly.) In February, the Board will discuss the report and our next steps as we consider ways to strengthen our current safety practices.
The next steps of the rezoning process are:
- End of January: The Advisory Committee will meet again. By the end of the month, Cville Schools will release the rezoning recommendation.
- February 6: The Board meeting will feature an overview of the recommendation to help inform the public.
- February 11: Community feedback meeting, 5-7pm, CHS. Come provide in-person comments on the recommendation – or submit comments in writing via a survey.
- March 6: Rezoning will be a discussion item for the Board meeting.
- March 27: Rezoning will likely be scheduled for a vote at this Board meeting.