Williamsburg moves forward with study on school division split

WILLIAMSBURG — Williamsburg City Council hired longtime educator Jeffery Smith to lead a study on the feasibility of operating an independent school district.

The City Council voted unanimously Thursday to hire Smith, who retired as Hampton’s school superintendent in July. He will lead a team of seven educators who plan to complete the study by January. The study will cost $135,000.

Smith made a presentation to the council Thursday and described his team’s mission “to ensure the best possible educational experience for students, parents and teachers in Williamsburg.”

Jeffery Smith served as Hampton City Schools superintendent from 2015 until his retirement in July. Hampton City Schools

“There’s nothing more important than this,” council member Stacy Kern-Scheerer said about ensuring the best education possible for city students and their families.

Since June, Williamsburg and James City County have debated whether to maintain the consolidated school system that has been in place for decades. As the school system spends millions in the coming years to create space for the county’s growing population, city officials have argued, Williamsburg taxpayers would have to pay more for facilities that won’t benefit them.

In June, the council decided to proceed with a feasibility study in a unanimous vote. At the time, WJCC Schools Superintendent Olwen Herron shared a message with the school system’s staff saying that any commentary on the potential outcomes of the study would be speculative. During Thursday’s meeting, several council members reiterated that point, with Vice Mayor Pat Dent pointing to the word “potential.”

“Even if this study comes back and says it’s feasible, there’s still a lot of decision-making for this body, so it’s a potential,” Dent said before referencing outside conversations that may have prematurely determined there will be a separation.

“We don’t have the information to make that decision (yet),” he said.

In July, the county decided to end its joint school agreement with Williamsburg, though they left the door open to future talks about renegotiating the contract. On Tuesday, however, the Board of Supervisors passed a new resolution, asking that if the city decides not to renegotiate the contract for the joint system they will agree to extend the termination date to the end of the 2027-28 school year.

Among the county’s concerns is that separating the systems could leave 600-700 county students without a middle school.

According to Smith, he and his team have “over 200 years” combined experience in an array of fields, including K-12 education, higher education, administration and finances. Together, they will bring a “holistic approach” to the study, with the understanding that every component is connected, he said. Smith emphasized that “it is not the intent of the team to determine whether the separation should occur.”

The final report will look at things such as program curriculum and instructional design; the State Department of Education process; enrollment; displacement; ancillary services; the role of higher education partners; governance and management; employment terms and conditions; financial feasibility; work products and study completion; co-curricular activities and sports; and special education and English as a second language learning environments.

After the meeting, city spokesperson Nicole Trifone said that the city won’t make any plans until the results of the feasibility study come back.

Council member Caleb Rogers assured the public that there would be ample opportunity to comment on the possibility of an independent school division. No changes to the existing joint school system would take place prior to the 2025-26 school year.

Herron sent a message to school families and staff on Monday sharing the news that both localities would be revisiting the separation issue this week.

“No matter the actions this week or over the coming year, we will continue to serve our students, our families, and our community to provide a top-quality education to all students,” Herron said in the message.

For more information on the study, visit williamsburgva.gov/feasibilitystudy.

Correspondent J.W. Caterine contributed to this story.

Sian Wilkerson, 757-342-6616, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com