Charlottesville United for Public Education Statement on House Finance Vote for School Construction Sales Tax Option

February 25, 2022

Today, the House Finance Subcommittee killed Senator Creigh Deeds’ bill (SB 298) that would have authorized the City of Charlottesville to hold a referendum asking voters whether to use a local sales tax up to 1% to pay for school construction projects. Alongside Del. Sally Hudson’s companion bill, the bill failed to pass along a party-line vote 4-3 by Republicans.

Charlottesville United for Public Education released the following statement:

“We want to thank Sen. Deeds and Del. Hudson for being champions of public education. Today’s vote is not the outcome we wanted, but the fight isn’t over. We’re thankful our representatives are still in the fight with us.

“A high-quality education demands that we invest in learning environments that are healthy, safe, and encourage student success. Not supporting this legislation sends the message to students in Charlottesville and around the Commonwealth that their needs are not a priority. We are disappointed that school facilities in Charlottesville – where the average building is 66 years old  – have been put on the backburner by the state once again.

“Funding new school construction projects and maintaining facilities is a long-standing challenge for many localities. Not having the special sales tax as an option makes this even more difficult, but not impossible. We encourage Charlottesville City Council to work with the community and find new solutions to pay for the reconfiguration project. Where there is a political will, there is a way to fund public education in the city. It will take some thinking outside the box, but we are counting on City Council to step up for a vision long-deferred in our community.