Mask free March

 

The longer days of March are filled with lots of county meetings starting with the regular board meeting on the first.

Board Chair Neil Spoonhower, District 2 made a brief state of the county report.

"The state of our county is strong because we have engaged citizens. We have hundreds of citizens who volunteer to serve in the county, whether on boards or committees, or at the animal shelter or picking up trash on the side of the road, and many more.

"We have the most engaged voters in the state, year after year, we have the highest voter turnout. Our county is strong because of our amazing staff. We have the highest caliber professionals serving their citizens tirelessly around the clock. As noted by Mr. Alvarez being on the phone with me last night at 12:30.

"Our county is strong because of our dedicated Constitutional Officers and elected officials who put our people first and our hearts are dedicated to service.

"We're strong because of our sound financial practices on the tail end of a global pandemic.

""We're looking to lower personal property taxes, making significant investments in personnel for public safety, education, and staffing to make sure we meet the demands of our citizens.

"Goochland is strong, not because it sees itself as a county and a great commonwealth, but because it sees itself as a community, a community that I am proud to be part of."

 

Town Hall meetings

Spring town hall sessions are scheduled for Districts 4 and 5 on Thursday, March 10 at Tuckahoe Pines Retirement Community at 1230 Patterson Ave, (the post office thinks its in Richmond, but we know it's in Goochland); District 2& 3 on Tuesday, March 22 at Central High School Cultural and Educational Center on Dogtown Road; and District 1 on Thursday, March 31 at Byrd Elementary School 2704 Hadensville-Fife Road. All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m.  The county budget will be explained and matters of countywide and district interest will be discussed.

Fees for brush disposal will be waived at county convenience centers until April 1 to help residents cleaning up after the January storm.

 

 

VDOT

 Marshall Winn VDOT Ashland Residency Administrator reported that the contractor hired to clear storm debris from Goochland roads worked for nine days before walking off the job. Bids from other companies to do the work have been reviewed. Winn was optimistic that another firm will undertake this task soon. He said that this work is different from clearing I64, which is overseen by the Culpeper and Richmond Districts.

Work on the Fairground/Sandy Hook Roads roundabout is expected to begin sometime in late spring. The extension of Fairground Road to Rt. 6 does not have sufficient funding to proceed at this time.

School budget

As the budget for FY23, which begins on July 1, and tax rates for calendar 2022 are adopted by the board in April, the supervisors hear departmental and agency budget presentations during March.

School Superintendent Jeremy Raley Ed.D.  presented the budget for the school division approved by the school board. As approved by the school board, the amount for FY 23 is $24,500,000. This includes an increase of $1 million in county transfer from FY 2022. Our schools serve approximately 2,500 students, a number that has been stable for the past few years. See the document at https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Q6OckSUjv4aW_LKKVPfL4cvmLbo_gh0/view.

Of core services funded by the county—law enforcement, fire-rescue, and education—education consumes the largest piece of the pie. Raley began his talk with a brief overview of the some of the many accomplishments of our schools. According to Niche.com. Goochland has the best teachers in the Richmond region and Goochland Schools are rated first in the Richmond region.

"All decisions are based on the best interests of our students," Raley said, declaring that the school budget is based on needs, not wants. This includes expanded programs to mitigate the "summer slide" fall off in reading and math skills, and most important of all, improved salary and benefits for the teachers and staff that make the accomplishment of the division possible.

The success of Goochland schools, contended Raley, is tied directly to the talent of the people who work in the organization. "We have the best teachers. It is our goal to make sure that we continue to attract and retain the best so we can be successful well into the future." He said that the 85 percent vote in favor of the education bond referendum at last November's election indicates strong citizen support of the great work that our schools are doing.

Raley's remarks echoed those made last week by the Sheriff and Fire-Rescue Chief about the challenge of competing with neighboring jurisdictions, especially those with deeper pockets than ours, to attract and retain the best employees. While Goochland provides an excellent work environment, salary plays a big part in where people choose to work.

Expenditures in this budget, contended Raley, are dedicated to the recruitment and retention of employees including a competitive salary and overall compensation package. He said our school division is comprised of many moving parts. If some of those parts are not strong, they have a negative impact on the rest of the organization.

As noted in last week's workforce report, less than half of county staff lives in Goochland. Raley reported similar results for our teachers as part of his report on salary scales as compared to other school divisions in the region. The data shows that 171 out of Goochland's 272 teachers live outside the county in areas with higher teacher pay scales. The average distances they travel to school range from 23 to 31 miles.

If a teacher drives by four other middle schools, with higher pay scales, to work at GMS, how can we compete? Raley asked. As inflation rears its ugly head—especially escalating gas prices—keeping up becomes more difficult.

Touting the advantages of working in Goochland Schools—small classes; quality of life; employee friendly practice; teacher autonomy; focus on growth over achievement; technology and networking resources; and community support—versus practical considerations of travel time; child care; salary; benefits; and housing prices puts GCPS in a competitive vice, contended Raley. He said there are more openings today than there have been since he came to Goochland in 2016.

The schools are recommending a 6.41 percent year over year salary increase. That would still place our pay behind our neighbors, but not as much as before. Raley also recommended increases for substitute teachers and the lower wage earners who are "the backbone of the school division". This translates into $1.8 million directed at compensation. Salary and benefits account for more than 80 percent of the school budget.

School funding includes revenues from federal and state sources. (See the budget summary for details) Federal Covid money from the American Relief Plan will be used to mitigate pandemic learning loss.

To see all school budget documents go to https://www.goochlandschools.org/page/budget-and-finance.