Public School operations, budget and staffing needs reviewed by supervisors; Election Redistricting advertised for public hearing – and more

After getting first, a Warren County Public Schools departmental update on operational and personnel matters, including still-felt consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a later explanation and extended discussion of the need for a requested $63,650 Contingency Reserve transfer into the public schools’ operational budget, the newly post-2021 election-realigned Warren County Board of Supervisors – Jay Butler and Vicky Cook in for retired Tony Carter and Archie Fox – unanimously approved that transfer.

As the board took to public seating to nominate and elect officers for the new year, they noticed ‘private citizen’ Tederick’s arrival. Cheryl Cullers, as chairman and Delores Oates as Vice-Chair were nominated without opposition and re-elected and elected, respectively, by unanimous consensus. Royal Examiner Photos by Roger Bianchini

However, that approval didn’t come before assurances from Schools Superintendent Chris Ballenger that the Contingency money would go to a specified personnel use tied to the approval, as opposed to a rather vaguely worded “unexpected expense” variable. Contingency transfers in past years where money had been moved to other “unexpected expense” variables within the public school system from the one the county board had believed the money would go to, seemed to have some of the supervisors nervous about too vague a potential use.

Ballenger verified the staff summary citing that “unexpected expense” variable as the need for an additional ESL (English Second Language) teacher. Ballenger said the school system currently has six ESL teachers with 171 students classified as “Level One” ESL students needing as much as one hour per day of direct ESL teacher assistance. And while the estimated mid-to-upper 20s-to-1 student-teacher ratio may not sound too bad, Ballenger noted that “close to another 200 students” who had left the Level One category (of a four-tiered system) were still being monitored by ESL staff in assistance to English language teachers for any classroom performance issues that might require those students to be re-enrolled to the direct ESL teaching staff, Level One program.

Asked if the position had been advertised, Ballenger said it had been, but only as a “prospective” position since the money for it was not currently in the budget. The Contingency Reserve transfer would allow “Prospective” to be removed from the advertised position so that hiring could proceed. Responding to another question, Ballenger said that while not all ESL students were Spanish speaking, that was “a majority”.

WC Public Schools Superintendent Chris Ballenger first, explained operational issues into the third year of pandemic and virtual learning variables; then explained the plan for the $63,650 of a Contingency Reserve transfer to hire an additional ESL teacher.

With an understanding that any change of use would need to be brought back to the supervisors for review, on a motion by Delores Oates, seconded by Walt Mabe, the contingency transfer was approved by a 5-0 vote.

Election Redistricting

After approval of both a four-item Consent Agenda, and three items – Establishment of a Finance/Audit Committee, a Technology Review Committee, and County/Public Schools Liaison Committee – removed for brief discussion by County Administrator Ed Daley, the board got an update and recommendation on Election Redistricting options from Planning Director Joe Petty. County Registrar Carol Tobin was also present to respond to any questions. Interim County Attorney Jason Ham also offered some background on variables coming down from the state level that had only recently been finalized. Ham commended county staff’s work on pinning down a preferred redistricting option mandated by population changes over the past decade.

With assistance and support from County Registrar Carol Tobin, right, and Interim County Attorney Jason Ham, to right at staff table, Planning Director Joe Petty briefed the board on 2 options for mandated Election District redistricting due to county population changes in the 2020 census.

Petty explained that of the two options presented, the first one appeared preferable as the least obtrusive. In response to a question from board Chair Cullers, who observed that her South River District wouldn’t be impacted by either option, Petty said that the only districts to see a change due to population variables would be the Happy Creek and Shenandoah Districts.

Guidelines mandate that periodically in the wake of census numbers each municipality election district must maintain a plus-or-minus 5% population ratio to each other. The 2020 Census showed Warren County’s population increasing from 37,439 to 40,572, an increase of 3,133 people or +8.37%. In Warren County in the wake of the 2020 Census, that median district population number was 8,114, with a plus-minus range from 7,708 to 8,502.

As described in the planning staff agenda packet, the recommended Option 1 “moves the boundary line to follow Morgan Ford Road and Howellsville Road to connect to the existing Shenandoah/Happy Creek boundary. Approximately 565 persons will be added to the Happy Creek Election District from the current Shenandoah Election District. the subdivisions being added include Apple Mountain Lake West, Aspen Hills (Greenfield, Skyview Section Two), Rockwood, Wildcat Knob, Manassas Run Manor, a portion of Shannon Subdivision, Shannon Woods, Morgans Ridge, Riverton Corporation Property, Land of the Blue Ridge, Ball, and Heater.

Following Petty’s summary, Ham’s observations, and Tobin’s comment that she was there to implement whatever direction the supervisors choose to go in, on a motion by Mabe (Shenandoah), seconded by Oates (North River), the board unanimously authorized advertisement for a public hearing on the proposed redistricting plan Option 1.

The Election Redistricting presentation begins at the 1:24:30 mark of the full County meeting video; the public school system overview starts at the 15:15 video mark, and the superintendent’s explanation of the Contingency Reserve request and subsequent discussion begins at the 1:00:25 video mark. A VDOT road work update in the wake of the first statewide winter weather event begins at the 11:05 mark of the meeting video.

See these discussions and all other business conducted in a full agenda of the opening county board meeting of the year 2022, before adjournment to a work session packed with departmental issues in the County videos.

Work Session Agenda

That work session – see this separate work session video – featured:

1/ Board Deputy Clerk Emily Ciarrocchi’s PowerPoint presentation on the advantages of moving to countywide Electronic Packets for meetings, with hard copy options (:35 mark).

2/ Planning Director Petty’s summary of the status of the Rockland Road Railroad Crossing Flyover Bridge – with a late 2023 construction target date once a resolution of county land acquisition and project costs and compensations are resolved (50:00 mark).

Planning Director Petty points to path of planned RR flyover which will cross the tracks slightly north of the existing road, intersecting with Rockland Rd. at points east and west of the tracks. Projected construction is cited by VDOT for late 2023, with a $27 million price tag. With the project involving local traffic access often blocked by rail access to the Virginia Inland Port, the County is hoping for federal and/or state assistance with its share of the costs, whatever that is eventually determined to be.

3/ An IT Department update from IT Director Todd Jones (1:05:14).

4/ A Human Resources Department summary of in-house COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and social distancing standards in conjunction with shifting federal and state guidelines (1:28:10).

5/ Sheriff Mark Butler’s summary of options to establish what he called a “needed” multi-purpose training area and impounded vehicle facility space inside the county. The Sheriff cited a project with no up-front costs to the county and its taxpayers, as well as an estimated annual $15,000 in travel-to-train savings promised. A preferred location was identified as a 15.44-acre parcel near the County’s Bentonville Transfer/Trash Hauling station off Shangri La Road (1:44:10).

Also discussed were board member committee appointments (2:11:55) and goals (2:15:20) for the coming year.