Future of Williamsburg-James City Schools still in Limbo Despite "Much Progress"
FOIA response reveals optimism about contract negotiations, but new agreement yet to materialize
Two years, three months and 22 days after the City of Williamsburg announced it would explore the possibility of breaking from James City County to form an independent school system, details about ongoing negotiations to preserve the joint school system remain elusive.
Back in August 2025, the executive leadership of Williamsburg, James City County and Williamsburg-James City County Schools (WJCC) planned for an upcoming “Liaison Meeting” scheduled for August 29, 2025, according to emails obtained from the WJCC in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The system’s Superintendent, Dr. Daniel Keever, raised the issue of contract negotiations in an email sent August 22, 2025 to Williamsburg City Manager Andrew Trivette and James City County Administrator Scott Stevens. Regarding the agenda for the meeting, Keever wrote: “I am hopeful we are planning to include an update from the City/County on the Joint Agreement conversations? Is there anything needed from me/WJCC to ensure this is included?”
The following day, Trivette responded and agreed with including an update on the status of contract negotiations at the upcoming meeting. Referencing undetermined participants in the negotiations, Trivette wrote: “We have had several meetings and made much progress toward agreement on a funding plan.”
Since then, no agreement has been disclosed and details about recent discussions have been scarce. When contacted this week via email, representatives of both James City County and the City of Williamsburg confirmed that negotiations are continuing, but declined to provide additional details:
A spokesperson for James City County responded: “At this time, we have nothing to share other than we have been meeting with the City and School Division representatives on a regular basis to work through a revised joint school agreement.”
A spokesperson for the City of Williamsburg responded: “Negotiations are ongoing.”
At the time of this writing, follow-up questions regarding any recent public discussions about the potential split or opportunities for public input on the new contract went unanswered by both jurisdictions.
View a copy of the FOIA response from WJCC:
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