In recent years, Charlottesville City Council opted to cancel a multimillion project to build infrastructure on West Main Street and chose instead to devote that to the renovation and expansion of Buford Middle School.
At a work session on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m. Council and the School Board will meet to discuss the future of elementary school buildings as well as the high school. All are over 50 years old.
“While in very good condition relative to their age, this presentation is intended to spark discussion and consideration amongst the City Council and School Board for the idea of beginning a program of deep renovation or replacement of these buildings over time in order to modernize the City’s school building stock,” reads the staff report.
The total fall 2024 enrollment for Charlottesville schools was 4,124 students and the current projects show that declining to 4,046 in the 2029-2030 academic year.
The Capital Development division of the Public Works Department has drawn up estimates for each school to lay out required maintenance projects as well as potential expansions to increase capacity. The total cost for modernization is estimated at over $101.5 million, not including expansion.
After the work session concludes, Council will go into closed session to consider appointments to the Charlottesville Police Oversight Board as well as the Planning Commission. For more background on the former, here’s a recent article on Charlottesville Tomorrow.
Before you go: This story was originally posted in the Week Ahead newsletter that went out on August 3, 2025 in Charlottesville Community Engagement.
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