Our Priorities

Our work is shaped by the community. Public education plays a vital role in the well-being of students and fulfilling their unique potential. Our city has a responsibility to provide an education that is accessible, inclusive and equitable. As a growing coalition, your ideas, vision and personal experiences is what drives this campaign.

We formed Charlottesville United to help ensure a renewed and robust commitment on the part of City and School leaders and the broader community to ensure that every child in City Schools receives a quality education from preschool to graduation. 

As we work to engage and empower our Charlottesville neighbors to champion the changes they want to see, we'll be listening to and amplifying community voices on a variety of education topics. You can help shape Charlottesville United's priorities and path forward. Currently, our community has expressed concerns about 6 key areas. Please fill out our 2024-2025 School Year Survey to give input on the key priority areas below.

Key Priority Areas

  1. Absenteeism

  2. Building Renovation/Reconfiguration

  3. Educator Support

  4. School Safety

  5. Social Emotional Wellness

  6. Transportation

Absenteeism

Absenteeism often results from a combination of factors, including health issues, family responsibilities, transportation challenges, and lack of engagement. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approach to create an inviting and supportive school environment. By ensuring students feel safe, valued, and excited about learning, we can motivate them to attend school regularly and improve their overall well-being. When coupled with responsible use of resource to support school attendance, this can reduce rates of chronic absenteeism.

Charlottesville United is working to learn more about how to combat absenteeism, and chronic absenteeism in the local community.

Building Renovation/Reconfiguration

Charlottesville City Council unanimously backed plan to create a preschool center, return 5th graders to elementary schools, and bring grades 6-8 under one roof. The reconfiguration project will modernize the middle school for grades 6-8 and create a citywide preschool center on the Walker Upper Elementary School campus, helping to address early childhood education concerns in the area.

This will be the city’s first major investment in school buildings since the construction of Charlottesville High School in 1974.

Reconfiguration will:

1

Centralize Pre-K and lay the groundwork for an expanded early childhood education center

2

Improve access for mobility-impaired students, staff, and community members

3

Address security concerns associated with open-campus layouts

4

Improve the health, well-being, and learning experiences for all students

Reconfiguration is an opportunity for those who care about public education to come together UNITED as champions for the well-being of all students and their success inside and outside of the classroom.

Renovation/Reconfiguration Related Resources

Charlottesvile City Schools - 2022 Update to School Board

Charlottesville City Schools - Facilities Home

Charlottesville City Schools - Reconfiguration: Frequently Asked Questions

Charlottesville City Schools  - Student Impact Graphic

School Safety

Across the country school safety is of concern to parents, guardians, and other caring adults. Students seek safety in order to learn, in the school enviroment. We have heard from our community that school safety is a major priority for them, and it is inkeeping with Charlottesville United’s mission to continue to provide information so that the community can make well informed decisions about how best to improve school safety for all students.

Since its inception school safety has been centered for Charlottesville United, during the middle school reconfiguration work session school safety and student well-being were foregrounded. To address school safety Charlottesville United helped to faciliate a listening session, and wrote actionable steps upon its completion. More recently, Charlottesville United provided the community with a synopsis of information about Youth Resource Officers in Schools.

Social Emotional Wellness

Social-emotional wellness is crucial in a school setting because it directly impacts students' ability to learn, build healthy relationships, and manage stress. Ensuring community awareness of available resources promotes a supportive environment where students can thrive emotionally and academically. Strong supports are essential to address the growing mental health needs and to foster resilience and well-being among students.

Charlottesville United staff and board members have worked to support the social-emotional wellness of Charlottesville City Schools students, through volunteerism at multiple city schools including Charlottesville High School, and Buford Middle School; as well as engaging youth at the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center. In, February, 2023 our community organizer, lifted student voices to express thier concerns about school safety at CHS, during a city council - city schools Joint Work Session. We find that listening to students and connecting them with resouces supports overall social emotional health and well-being.

Social Emotional Wellness Related Resources

Charlottesville City Schools - Care and Safety Assistants

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

The Trevor Project - Information and Support for LGBTQ+ Young People

RegionTen - Community Services Board

UVA Teen and Young Adult Clinic

Youth.Gov - School Based Mental Health Center

Transportation

Charlottesville United worked with Livable Cville to conduct a Public School Matters - Transportation Webinar ahead of the 2023-2024 school year, and created recommendations shared with decision-makers based on community focus groups, and other feedback.

Accessible transportation is vital for all children to ensure their safe and reliable commute to and from school, especially during inclement weather. It helps maintain consistent attendance and reduces risks for students. Reliable transportation also alleviates stress on parents, guardians and other caring adults, allowing them to maintain their work schedules without worrying about pick-ups and drop-offs. This support ultimately contributes to the social, emotional well-being and academic success of students.

Supporting Our Educators

In November, 2023, Charlottesville United supported a group of concerned teachers, to faciliate a listening session for Charlottesville High School. Upon completion, the listening session as coded, and themes were gathered to provide an update. Shortly after, Charlottesville United provided a list of action steps to support Charlottesville High School and CCS.

Supporting our educators—teachers, administrators, and school personnel—is crucial because they are the heart of our students' educational and emotional development. By valuing and listening to our educators, we show appreciation for their dedication and hard work, fostering a positive and sustainable teaching environment.

-Photo Credit: Daily Progress