This week in county government; Straley previews proposed LCPS budget; Louisa legislators busy in 2023 General Assembly session
Engage Louisa is a nonpartisan newsletter that keeps folks informed about Louisa County government. We believe our community is stronger and our government serves us better when we increase transparency, accessibility, and engagement.
This week in county government: public meetings, Jan. 30 through Feb. 4
For the latest information on county meetings including public meetings of boards, commissions, authorities, work groups, and internal county committees, click here. (Note: Louisa County frequently schedules internal committee/work group meetings after publication time. Check the county’s website for the most updated information).
Monday, January 30
Dry Cask Storage Committee, Administrative Conference Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 9 am.
Wednesday, February 1
Commission on Aging, Betty Queen Center, 522 Industrial Drive, Louisa, 10 am.
Thursday, February 2
Louisa County Electoral Board, Executive Board Room, Louisa County Office Building, 1 Woolfolk Ave., Louisa, 10 am. (agenda)
Other meetings
Thursday, February 2
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission, Water Street Center, 407 E. Water Street, Charlottesville, 7 pm. (meeting materials) A link to livestream the meeting is available in the meeting materials.
Additional information about Louisa County’s upcoming public meetings is available here.
Interested in taking your talents to one of the county’s numerous boards and commissions? Find out more here including which boards have vacancies and how to apply.
Straley previews LCPS budget proposal for FY24
The Louisa County School Board will consider approval of an at least $77.5 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year at its February 7 meeting. The proposed budget, previewed by Superintendent Doug Straley in mid-January, includes a roughly six percent hike in spending over last year’s budget thanks largely to compensation increases for teachers and support staff.
During a presentation at a special board meeting on January 17, Straley detailed the spending increases, which tap almost $2.4 million in additional local funds. In the proposal, the division draws more than half of its money from local sources—roughly $46 million—with much of the remainder coming from state and federal funding. After a green light from the School Board, the budget requires approval by the Board of Supervisors as part of the county’s annual budget process.
Of the roughly $2.4 million local spending hike, the budget allocates about $1.77 million for pay increases for staff and $625,000 for rising operational expenses. The proposed spending plan doesn’t account for an expected increase in employees’ health insurance costs, Straley said, so the final budget could inch higher. The division is also waiting on the General Assembly to finalize amendments to the state budget, which could impact local school divisions.
In total, compensation increases would cost the division about $3.77 million with more than $2 million of that expected to come from the state. The budget includes a five percent pay hike for staff in accordance with Governor Glenn Youngkin’s budget proposal, matching a five percent increase last year. That pay hike accounts for about $1.3 million of the local spending increase.
In addition, the division plans to raise pay for hourly employees to a minimum of $15 an hour, tacking on another $249,000 in FY24 expenses. Currently, the division’s lowest starting pay rate is $13.78 an hour. The budget also includes $215,000 to cover a compensation increase for custodians. Facing a custodian shortage last year, the division tapped reserve funding to cover a mid-year pay hike, Straley said.
“Our most valuable resource are our people,” Straley said of prioritizing pay raises. “I’m very concerned about the ramifications if we are not competitive out there.”
Green Springs District representative Deborah Hoffman echoed Straley, noting that LCPS was fortunate to fill teaching and other staff positions prior to the start of this school year as some neighboring divisions dealt with staffing deficits.
“The (increased) compensation is so important for our staff…other school divisions last year were struggling to get people to drive buses, work in the cafeteria, and to teach. Our staff is very important, and we want to keep them,” she said.
While compensation comprises much of the budget hike, the division also faces escalating operational costs. Those expenses are expected to add $625,000 to next year’s budget excluding the anticipated hike in employees’ health insurance rates. Of that, roughly $374,000 covers the cost of additional instructional staff.
Just before the start of the academic year, the division hired three new teachers to meet the demands of rising enrollment as well as several instructional assistants and aides, adding $295,000 in expenses. In FY24, the division plans to hire a teacher for a Personal Living and Finance course that’s required for graduation. Currently, some students take the class online because there’s only one instructor, Straley said. The budget allows $79,000 to cover the teacher’s salary and benefits.
The other $251,000 covers the rising costs of instructional supplies, transportation and maintenance. Food costs have also escalated, Straley said, but he expects those expenses to be covered by a surplus that the nutrition department currently has on hand.
Outside of annual funding sources, the division will tap about $7.7 million in state and federal grants, bringing the total projected budget to more than $85 million. Over $4.5 million of that funding comes from federal pandemic relief.
Currently, the division is using the aid to pay five school counselors as well as reading and math interventionists, attendance specialists, and instructional assistants. Straley said the positions are targeted to address pandemic-related learning loss as well as absenteeism and mental health issues, which intensified during pandemic. He said he’s hopeful the division can retain the counselors after the grant funding runs out. The funding could last through FY25.
“Being able to keep those mental health services in place is going to be a very important piece of what we do moving forward,” Straley said. “I feel much better about (the number of counselors) we have today than I did two years ago.”
Capital spending
At its January 3 meeting, the school board green-lighted a roughly $1.8 million capital budget for FY24 that covers spending on big-ticket items like new buses and technology upgrades. The proposal includes about $870,000 for five new full-size school buses, one bus for special needs students, a 10-passenger van, and maintenance equipment for the bus garage. Other sizable expenditures include $355,000 for technology upgrades, $150,000 to upgrade HVAC systems, $81,000 for electronic marquees at several schools, $80,000 for LED lighting, and $60,000 to refurbish tennis courts. That spending also requires approval by the Board of Supervisors as part of the county’s Capital Improvement Plan.
Looking ahead, LCPS anticipates a significant increase in capital spending beyond FY24 including some $54 million for new facilities in FY25. To address crowded conditions at Louisa County Middle School, where some classrooms are housed in trailers outside the school building, the division is requesting $26 million for a 52,000-square foot addition to the rear of the school that would accommodate 575 students. The space would house both middle school classrooms and the division’s alternative education program.
The division is requesting nearly $26 million for a 55,000-square foot career and technical education center and adjacent parking area. Straley and other school leaders have said the facility would provide space for existing CTE programs and room to alter curriculum with employers’ changing needs.
The long-range CIP also includes $30 million for new elementary school facilities between FY29 and FY33. It’s unclear if the division plans to build a fifth elementary school or add to an existing school building.
In December, supervisors approved the School Board’s request to use $1.8 million in state funding this fiscal year to pay for plans for the middle school addition and CTE center. That money will be drawn from $400 million in the biennial state budget that’s specifically earmarked for school construction. Every school division in the state will receive a chunk of the funding based on their enrollment and local needs.
General Assembly roundup: Louisa legislators busy in Richmond
The three men who represent all or part of Louisa County in the General Assembly—Delegate John McGuire (R-HD56) and Sens. Bryce Reeves (R-SD17) and Mark Peake (R-SD22)—are carrying more than 70 bills and resolutions during the annual legislative session, which kicked off January 11 and lasts until Feb. 25.
The breakneck 46-day session isn’t expected to deliver significant policy change as divided government grips Richmond and high-stakes elections loom. Republicans control the governor’s office and hold a narrow 52-48 majority in the House of Delegates while Democrats wield a 22-18 advantage in the Senate and have pledged to be a “brick wall” against efforts to roll back sweeping policy changes enacted when they held total control in Capitol Square. During the 2020 and 2021 sessions, when Democrats held the executive mansion and majorities in both legislative chambers, they passed laws to address climate change, expand access to the ballot box, tighten gun laws, protect the rights of LGBTQ Virginians, and more.
While neither party has the power to enact its agenda right now, Republicans could snag a trifecta of their own come November as all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for grabs in new districts redrawn during the once-a-decade redistricting process. The revamped maps set up some intriguing intra-party battles in primaries this spring ahead of fall elections that will determine control of each chamber. That means legislators on both sides of the aisle are eyeing the session as an opportunity to message to voters as much as pass bills into law.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the bills McGuire, Peake and Reeves introduced for the 2023 session.
McGuire carries legislation focused on veterans, education and more
The 2023 session marks McGuire’s farewell to the General Assembly’s lower chamber as the three-term delegate opted to forego a re-election bid to his 56th District House of Delegates seat and instead seek the Republican nomination in the ruby red 10th state Senate District.
Ahead of a hotly contested nominating convention in the 10th where he faces three Republican challengers, McGuire’s 12-bill roster provides plenty of fodder for his party’s base. But it includes few proposals likely to clear the legislature’s upper chamber.
One piece of legislation that could crack Democrats’ so-called “brick wall” is HB 1436, a bill that would remove the age restriction for veterans to exempt military retirement benefits from income taxes. McGuire helped pass a law last year that allows veterans 55 and older to benefit from the tax break. Governor Glenn Youngkin backed his latest bill in proposed amendments to the state budget and the legislation currently awaits a vote on the House floor. Reeves is carrying the same bill in the Senate.
“As a Navy Seal and now member of the Virginia House of Delegates, I was honored to successfully carry HB 1128 in 2022, a bill to reduce taxes on veteran retirement pay up to $40k. This success is nearly 30 years in the making, but there is more we must do for our veterans. I am now fighting to remove the age 55 requirement put on my bill and I am happy Governor Youngkin put the money in the budget to do just that,” McGuire said in a press release.
McGuire is also carrying legislation aimed at loosening gun laws, tightening access to the ballot box, and advancing “parental rights” in public education.
McGuire’s HB 1507 would reinforce existing law that guarantees the fundamental rights of parents. The bill requires any local school board that amends or adopts a policy that impacts parents’ rights to provide a written statement justifying the policy and entitles parents who prevail in legal action against a school board for violation of the law to an award of reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.
The bill cleared the House Education Committee on a party line vote last week with the Virginia School Board Association, Virginia Education Association, and Virginia NAACP testifying in opposition. The VSBA argued that if school boards are violating parents’ rights, there should be local consequences and a state law isn’t necessary.
McGuire’s HB 1454, which is assigned to the House Education Committee’s K-12 subcommittee but, as of publication time, hasn’t been heard, would remove qualifications for parents wishing to homeschool their child. Under current law, parents must meet one of four criteria: hold a high school diploma, be a teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Board of Education, provide the child with a program of study or curriculum via a correspondence course, distance learning program or in any other manner, or provide evidence of the ability to provide an adequate education for the child.
McGuire, who peppers his campaign speeches with catch phrases like “shall not be infringed” in reference to the Second Amendment and “I’m better with a rifle than giving speeches” is also carrying legislation that takes aim at “gun free zones.” His HB 2459 would limit sovereign immunity for localities that implement “gun free zone” or, as he explained it in an email to constituents, “if you get shot in a ‘gun-free zone,’ you can sue the government.” At publication time, the bill hadn’t been considered in the House.
Since the 2020 election, McGuire has embraced unfounded claims of voter fraud—he recently screened the election conspiracy film “2,000 Mules” in Louisa and surrounding counties--and pushed legislation to tighten restrictions on voting. His HB 1693 would bar the use of drop boxes for absentee ballots, a response to legislation implemented by Democrats during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic that allows voters to drop ballots in secure boxes outside polling locations.
“It’s important that every legal vote is counted in a free and fair election and, as of late, the relaxed voting laws in Virginia and across the nation have eroded a lot of the confidence people have in our election process. We will have to do far more to make everyone confident in their elections again but, removing these boxes, where many people have seen problems in chain of custody, will be a great first step,” McGuire said in a press release.
When introducing the bill to a House subcommittee, McGuire didn’t offer any specific evidence to back up those claims. His bill cleared the House last week in a party line vote, but it’s expected to meet with less enthusiasm in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Check out all of McGuire’s bills here.
Reeves advocates for veterans’ tax break, committee to address gambling addiction, changes to clean car standards
Reeves, who has represented most of Louisa County in the state Senate for a decade, will no longer represent the area come 2024. Redistricting placed him in the Republican-friendly 28th District where he faces a primary challenger. The district includes part of Spotsylvania and a swath of the northwestern piedmont.
Reeves kicked off the session carrying 34 bills and resolutions, which run the gamut from addressing gambling addiction to advancing “school choice” via education savings accounts. He said in a statement that his bills are aimed at “protecting the least, the last, and the lost among us.”
Like McGuire, he’s patroning an administration-backed bill that would remove the age restriction for veterans to exempt retirement benefits from income taxes. A former Army Ranger, Reeves touted the bill as a way to keep veterans in the state. The bill failed to clear the Senate Finance Committee last week.
“Virginia was growing our veterans’ population by 1% to 2% per year before COVID. After COVID, they started moving away to tax-free states like Tennessee, Texas, and Florida,” Reeves told The Free Lance Star.
A second bill that emerged as a top Republican priority this session is Reeves’ SB 782, which would’ve rolled back a 2021 law that ties Virginia’s motor vehicle emission standards to California’s. The California standards are more stringent than federal rules, which would otherwise apply to Virginia, and require that all new vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission by 2035. Republicans argue that Virginians shouldn’t be subject to California’s rules and deem a rapid move toward emission-free vehicles unrealistic.
But the Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources committee disagreed, rolling Reeves’ bill into a similar bill carried by Senator Steve Newman then killing Newman's bill in a party line vote.
Reeves’ legislative roster includes a package of bills related to gaming and gambling addiction including legislation that would establish a problem gambling treatment and support advisory committee. The committee would enable collaboration among prevention and treatment providers and legal gaming operators on efforts to reduce adverse effects of problem gambling. Delegate Paul Krizek, a Democrat from Fairfax, is carrying the same bill in the House. Reeves’ bill is awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
“As Virginia moves forward with the expansion of gaming, it’s important that we understand the ills that come with it,” Reeves and Krizek said in a news release.
Reeves’ other gaming related bills include a resolution to establish March as Problem Gambling Awareness month in Virginia, a resolution to study the feasibility of creating a Virginia Gaming Commission to regulate and oversee all forms of gaming in the commonwealth, a bill that would establish a Gaming Regulatory Fund, a bill that directs the Virginia Racing Commission to set rules for the number of live horse races required at facilities that offer pari-mutuel wagering on historical horse racing, and a bill that would expand opportunities for certain organizations to obtain temporary permits to offer some forms of charitable gaming.
Reeves is also pushing legislation focused on “school choice” and educational “transparency.” His SB 1191 would’ve allowed parents to establish education savings accounts that divert some local and state funds for use in educational settings other than public schools. The Senate Education and Health Committee killed the bill last week in a party line vote.
Reeves’ SB 1199, killed by the same committee but, this time, by lawmakers in both parties, would’ve declared that parents with children enrolled in public schools have the right to access a range of school-related materials and must be provided clear opt-out options for some school activities. In rejecting the bill, lawmakers noted that many of these materials are already available to parents and that parents routinely receive notification about field trips and other activities and must provide consent for their child to participate. Legislators also criticized the bill for overly broad language.
Check out all of Reeves’ bills here.
Peake files budget amendment for HAB funding, carries nearly 30 bills
Redistricting landed Peake in the Republican-friendly 8th Senate District, which includes his Lynchburg home and stretches across Bedford and Campbell counties, so the 2023 session will be his last representing Louisa’s eastern edge.
Peake is carrying 30 bills and budget amendments this session, two of which relate to the Louisa County Board of Supervisors’ legislative priorities. After Youngkin failed to include in his proposed amendments to the state budget $1 million for mitigation of Harmful Algal Blooms at Lake Anna—supervisors sent the governor a letter asking for the money and Peake made a personal appeal to Secretary of Finance Stephen Cummings—Peake submitted his own amendment requesting the funds.
The proposed amendment would appropriate $1 million to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, to conduct cyanobacteria mitigation and remediation activities on the lake.
Peake has found some success securing state resources to address HAB in the past. In 2021, he advanced a budget amendment that commissioned a DEQ report on the prevalence of the blooms in freshwater bodies across the state and, last year, he helped secure $3.5 million for DEQ to study HAB and develop mitigation plans for Lake Anna and the Shenandoah River.
Peake’s SB 966 relates to a perennial plank in the county’s legislative platform: increasing the amount the state pays to local jails for housing incarcerated individuals that it’s responsible for. Specifically, the bill would require the Department of Corrections to compensate local jails for the actual cost of incarcerating individuals convicted of felonies who should otherwise be confined in a state correctional facility.
Last year, Peake successfully passed legislation that increased the per diem rate that DOC pays local and regional jails, but Louisa and other localities point out that the rate falls far short of covering actual costs. Peake’s bill is awaiting a hearing with the Senate Finance Committee.
Peake, who sits on the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, introduced three bills to tighten access to the ballot box and roll back changes to voting laws enacted under Democratic control. All three bills failed to clear the committee.
His SB 967 sought to limit who could register to vote under Virginia’s same-day registration law, which allows voters to both register to vote and cast a provisional ballot on Election Day. Peake’s SB 968 would’ve required voters to show photo identification and repealed a provision allowing them to sign a sworn affidavit attesting to their identity in lieu of showing an ID. His SB 965 would’ve required that the name, date of birth and social security number provided by an applicant on a voter registration form match information on file in the Social Security Administration’s database.
In an email to constituents, Peake touted his proposals as “election integrity bills” that would’ve increased voter confidence and potentially prevented voter fraud. “Measures like these would have gone a long way to restore voter confidence in our process and could have prevented attempts at voter fraud in our elections,” he wrote.
Peake also delved into the culture wars surrounding the rights of transgender students in public schools. SB 962 sought to prohibit transgender students’ participation in some school sports. Reeves introduced a similar bill and, last week, a Senate subcommittee recommended killing both.
A lawyer by trade, Peake introduced legislation focused on criminal justice as well. His SB 989 would require prosecutors to inform the victim in a felony case of a proposed plea agreement and obtain the victim’s views on the agreement. Under current law, such consultation and notification is required only upon the victim's request. The bill is awaiting a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Peake’s SB 990, killed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party line vote, would’ve clarified that no minister of religion is required to give testimony or evidence in a civil or criminal proceeding that discloses confidential information provided to him by a person seeking spiritual counsel or advice unless that person consents to the disclosure.
Check out all of Peake’s bills here.
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