COMMENTARY: City Council's Silence on School Contract Speaks Volumes

Williamsburg leadership has met in closed session 7 times since mid-2024 to discuss the joint school system contract, with few public updates in between

Members of the Williamsburg City Council, along with select senior City staff, have a tendency to work on hot button issues while failing to adequately inform the public, or ask for their input — Spotswood and Sports Town are a couple examples that come to mind. Unfortunately, they’ve also allowed these habits of secrecy and unilateral action to leak into management of the public school system.

City Council needs to discuss things in private, of course. They frequently invoke Code of Virginia Sec. 2.2-3711 to conduct business behind closed doors. But they also need to discuss things in public, in order to make sure as many voices as possible are heard. Yet, when it comes to the status of contract negotiations involving the Williamsburg-James City County joint public school system, the lack of communication from City leadership is almost deafening.