County's good faith questioned. But Albemarle officials say state formula cheats schools

Albemarle County’s effort to snag more than $2.6 million in state funding from Charlottesville schools is undermining attempts to negotiate a reasonable solution to the underlying revenue dispute, some city officials say.

Albemarle School Board members have reached a consensus in the past few days that they want to meet with Charlottesville officials to discuss possible compromises. However, some Charlottesville officials maintain that it would be far easier to meet with Albemarle leaders if the county stopped fighting for money that has long been Charlottesville’s.

Even as some community leaders want to bring the two localities together for discussions, it’s unclear how long the standoff will last.

Charlottesville School Board member Llezelle A. Dugger cited a “trust issue.”

“It’s a little hard to come to the table in good faith while this bill is making its way through the General Assembly that’s been pushed by the Albemarle County School Board,” Dugger said. “So, how much good faith is there going to be with them coming to the table, if they’re still pushing the bill?”

Nonetheless, Dugger said she would be willing to meet with the county, with “hesitation.”

But there’s still little promise that leaders of the two localities will end up in the same room anytime soon, which Albemarle Education Association Vice President Steven Gissendanner said needs to change.

“The two superintendents and school boards should simply get together and work this out in a way that’s best for kids,” Gissendanner said.

Gissendanner said that tension between the two localities is bad news for the students of both localities, adding that officials should think “outside the box” to find ways for both localities to work together to better educate students.

Many county officials believe Albemarle schools are being cheated because a state formula that 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. However, Charlottesville officials argue that the formula was in effect when the revenue-sharing agreement was struck in 1982 and say that trying to change the longstanding formula now would be unreasonable.

Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, submitted an amendment during this year’s General Assembly session that would have the state account for the 1982 agreement, ultimately meaning that Albemarle schools would get about $2.6 million more state funding in fiscal 2012 and Charlottesville would lose that money, if the proposal passes. The House of Delegates is still considering the amendment, though most agree that if the amendment passes the House, it could receive more heat in the Senate.

Del. David J. Toscano, D-Charlottesville, said he wants to bring leaders from the two localities together, though the conversation might be more about ways to consolidate county services than settling the dispute over the $2.6 million. Toscano said it’s unlikely such a meeting would be feasible until after the General Assembly session is over — by then, the state legislature will have already made a decision about whether to transfer the $2.6 million from Charlottesville to Albemarle.

“I think the goal would be to get the city and the county back on track and developing approaches to cooperate in order to save money and help both jurisdictions provide services more efficiently,” said Toscano, who opposes Bell’s amendment. “There are lots of different options that are available, if people want to sit around the table and talk about them.”

Toscano declined to elaborate about potential options.

“I don’t want to foreclose any options being raised, by me proposing them now,” he said. “But I have probably 10 that could in my view be constructive, but I am not about to propose them in advance of a meeting. I feel it would perhaps short-circuit people’s thought process about what makes the most sense.”

Toscano added: “Some proposals might involve money. Some proposals might involve services. Some proposals might involve land.”

Albemarle School Board Chairman Ronnie Price Sr. said county School Board members sent a clear message that they are “willing to meet, but obviously we weren’t willing to stop delegate Bell’s amendment. ... We still are supporting that going through.”

Nonetheless, Price said he’d been willing to discuss nearly any options that might satisfy both sides, adding that city officials have to first be willing to meet.

Charlottesville School Board Chairwoman Leah Puryear had said in an interview a couple of weeks ago that she’d be willing to meet with the county about potential ways to consolidate school services if Bell’s amendment is withdrawn.

“If Rob Bell’s bill that’s currently in the state legislature is withdrawn, I would like to see that happen,” Puryear said of a meeting, adding that if the amendment isn’t withdrawn “what that says is the city is trying to be a good neighbor and the county is not.”

Puryear could not be reached for comment this week.

Both Price and Dugger said they’d be willing to discuss the idea of splitting the $2.6 million and have each locality receive $1.3 million, though neither committed to such an idea.

“Part of it is keeping an open mind but it’s very hard now,” Dugger said. “It would be very hard, honestly, to sit at a table and feel like I’m getting the straight story while that bill is still moving through the assembly.”

“It’s a trust issue, because if you’re saying you want to come to the table to talk about how we can work collaboratively and cooperatively and yet over here on this side there’s a hammer that’s about to fall on the city school division that you put into motion … emotionally, it’s very hard to separate the two,” she said.

Puryear said: “I think a compromise can always be reached.”

Both the Charlottesville and Albemarle school divisions are struggling financially, with Charlottesville schools having to come up with as much as a few million dollars worth of cuts and Albemarle bracing for as much as $13 million less funding during the next fiscal year.