COMMENTARY: Public Left in Dark as WJCC School Contract Set for Vote

Details scarce in advance of Friday's votes on new operating agreement for Williamsburg-James City County Schools

More than two years after Williamsburg and James City County began to explore independent school systems, a new contract is set to be voted on this Friday. Details of the new agreement have yet to be made public and are not expected until the time of the vote. (George Arbogust, Williamsburg Independent)

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After several years, the issue of the joint school operating contract between James City County and Williamsburg seems about to be settled, with several votes on a new agreement scheduled for this Friday — as first reported by Digby Solomon in Williamsburg Watch. According to his account, officials declined requests to provide any specifics on the new contract in advance of the upcoming votes. Official responses to several emails sent by the Williamsburg Independent also confirmed that contract details would not be released until later this week at the time of the votes.

Since Williamsburg sprung their school-split study on the community several years ago and James City County responded by taking their ball and going home, the only thing that’s been clear about this situation is the lack of transparency. And now, in apparent isolation, the leadership of James City County, Williamsburg and the School Board are set to approve a contract with still to be disclosed terms and unknown repercussions.

It’s reasonable to ask how the ideas and concerns of students, parents, teachers, staff, and taxpayers were incorporated into the new agreement. Were these stakeholders regularly consulted about potential sticking points and areas for compromise? I think we know the answer.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is another example of local leadership doing as it pleases with little to no feedback from constituents and stakeholders. Let’s hope that something more than a years-long pissing contest comes out of this episode and that the resulting decisions don’t wind up all wet.

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