The Albemarle County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday endorsed state legislation that would take an estimated $2.6 million from Charlottesville schools in fiscal 2012 and give it to Albemarle schools.
Many county officials say it’s unfair that the state formula — which determines education funding for localities based largely on localities’ wealth — fails to account for a revenue-sharing agreement under which Albemarle gave Charlottesville $18 million this year.
Supervisor Kenneth C. Boyd said Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County told him that a formal letter of support from the Board of Supervisors could at least give the proposed amendment a fighting chance in the General Assembly. However, the board’s move almost instantly increased bad blood between Albemarle and Charlottesville.
Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris said that he instructed city staff to review all city-county funding agreements “either currently or soon to be negotiated with an eye to procure enough funds from another county source to make up the gap in funding [lost] if this legislation passes.”
“We take this threat very seriously,” Norris said, adding that the city might be forced to choose from measures that could include cutting 40 teachers, raising the real-estate tax rate drastically or reducing funding to the county for joint ventures.
Norris said that the supervisors’ move took the fight to a new level, beyond tensions created by Albemarle’s School Board voting in favor of Bell’s amendment proposal.
“The county board should know better,” Norris said. “The School Board was acting out of a sense of desperation because they’re not getting the funding they need from the Board of Supervisors.”
Supervisors were split Wednesday on whether supporting Bell’s legislation would do more harm or good.
Four voted in favor of the resolution — Kenneth C. Boyd, Lindsay G. Dorrier Jr., Duane Snow and Rodney L. Thomas. Ann H. Mallek and Dennis S. Rooker voted against it.
Rooker noted that the resolution would increase “ill will” between the two localities and that the amendment was unlikely to pass anyway, while Thomas argued that Albemarle is the rightful owner of the money.
“That’s money that Albemarle County deserves,” Thomas said.
The revenue-sharing agreement was struck in 1982 as a way to prevent the city from annexing county land. Annexation was subsequently barred in Virginia.
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