Virginia code allows for localities to have elected school boards who can set their own policy, but any decisions on spending for new schools are actually made by other officials chosen by voters.
Government activities in Albemarle County including spending are guided by a strategic plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors in October 2022. There are six goals in all according to Andy Bowman, Albemarle’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer.
“Education and Learning is one of six and it’s also the largest component of the county’s debt service and capital budget,” Bowman said.
The capital budget is where financial planning for infrastructure takes place.
The Albemarle School Board and the Albemarle Board of Supervisors met on December 3 to discuss a capital request for the school system that the School Board approved in November.
In most cases, governments pay the upfront cost of new infrastructure by selling bonds which are paid back over time through debt service. Bowman said it takes about 20 years to fully pay off large projects and that investments should be seen as generational.
In 2016, voters in Albemarle approved the issuance of new general obligation bonds to raise $35 million for school projects. It was known at the time this would require a 1.3 cent increase on the real property tax rate to cover the increase in debt service to pay for projects such as an addition to Woodbrook Elementary, a science lab for Western Albemarle, and other projects.
Subsequent investments in further years include additions at Crozet Elementary, Red Hill Elementary, and Scottsville Elementary, paid for by bonds issued in FY22. There was another issuance for schools in FY26. Bowman said that has raised the cost of debt service for school projects while the county also invested in other projects to support the other strategic plan goals.
“That is primarily driven by the general District Court building downtown that is now open, the renovation of the historic courthouse building for the Circuit court, the purchase of the Rivanna Futures property, and the Biscuit Run park in partnership with the state,” Bowman said.
Albemarle County uses a five-year plan to help anticipate future needs while deciding a budget for each year. At a briefing on November 19, Supervisors were told that a four-cent property tax increase this year improved the long-term picture but 80 percent of money raised from the hike goes to public s afety, ten percent for affordable housing, and ten percent for school construction.
In order to maintain a AAA bond rating, Albemarle has financial management policies in place including a rule that the total debt service payment each year not exceed ten percent of general fund revenues. That’s at about six percent for the current fiscal year but will go up to eight percent for FY2029 under current projections.
The current five-year plan in the adopted budget anticipates revenues of $323.2 million with 72 percent of that coming from long-term financing.
Bowman said there is room for new initiatives beginning in FY2029 but Albemarle has a lot of obligations in the next two years. In all, there’s only an additional $72 million in additional debt capacity in the five year plan.
“In the short term in fiscal year 2027 and 2028, we know in county government there will be some significant expenditure obligations as we pick up grants for firefighters as we fulfill contractual obligations with our regional partners like the regional jail, the regional SPCA,” Bowman said. “The School Board will also have obligations and we open two schools next year.”
The current five-year plan anticipates that 59 percent of that $323.5 million will go to school projects.
A total of $88.9 million is being spent in FY2026 on school projects including $40.3 million for Mountainview Upper Elementary and $39.3 million for the ACE Academy next to Albemarle High School. That had originally been known as High School Center 2.
Kate Acuff, the chair of the School Board, thanked Supervisors for agreeing to spend money on school projects underway but said the county still needs to catch up with capital construction.
“Our proposed CIP places an emphasis both on new construction to address critical capacity needs and essential renovations to modernize our aging schools,” Acuff said.
At the top of the list is over $230 million for a new high school to serve the northern part of the county including $16.3 million for land acquisition in FY2028. Acuff said this would be an investment in Albemarle’s future.
“My hope is that we can collaborate and establish a vision for how a new high school can be a catalyst not only for student success, but for your economic development and community development initiatives,” Acuff said. “How might a new high school in the northern feeder pattern improve property values, attract a diverse workforce, support our growing biotech and life sciences business sector?”
Acuff said she understands that Supervisors are the ones who will answer to the electorate related to the real property tax rate but said investing in education must be seen as high a priority as paying for firefighters and rescue personnel. She also suggested that 2026 may be the year that Albemarle County will be allowed to hold a referendum on a one cent sales tax increase to pay for school construction. Such legislation has passed the General Assembly the past two years but has been vetoed by Governor Glenn Youngkin.
“That additional funding could be a game changer if ultimately adopted and would certainly ease the way forward,” Acuff said. “However, the projects that we we propose remain in priority regardless of the outcome of that legislation and we must identify a pathway forward.”
The school system’s capital request is shaped by the 12-member Long-Range Planning Advisory Committee based on a series of master plans and studies. Superintendent Matt Haas said the cumulative result of that work has meant that Albemarle has not been in the business of building new schools.
“Many of our school buildings are aging and a number are now outdated in terms of infrastructure and instructional design,” Haas said. “Over the past 50 years, we have opened only eight new schools, including just one in the last 25 years to meet enrollment needs. During that time, our strategy has often been to expand and renovate existing buildings.”
Haas said that strategy is outdated because Albemarle’s population growth outpaces the school system’s ability to keep up and economic development projects like AstraZeneca will only increase the rate of change. He said a new high school would relieve overcrowding at existing high schools.
However, the idea did not have a warm reception by the Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Mike Pruitt of the Scottsville District said he did not think it was feasible to build a new high school within five years given that part of the county’s strategy has been to build high school “centers” such as the ACE Academy under construction.
“Since I was first running for office, you know, I have stood in front of thousands of people or hundreds of people, including my own church and my own priests, and I’ve said that I am going to get $10 million for housing,” Pruitt said. “And that’s a big ask. This ask is 20 times bigger, but that’s a big ask.”
Pruitt said he proposed cuts to other programs to get his $10 million for housing and proposed increasing the personal property tax to get more revenue. He critiqued the sudden appearance of the fourth high school.
“It is hard not to look at what’s coming to us today as a really significant failure in long range planning,” Pruitt said.
Outgoing Supervisor Diantha McKeel of the Jack Jouett District said she would like to see more data and pointed out that enrollments have dropped since COVID.
“Since the pandemic, and certainly even prior to the pandemic, fewer people are having children in this community,” McKeel said. “We have a lot more homeschoolers coming out of the pandemic. Homeschooling is much more popular than it used to be.”
McKeel also took issue with a move away from high school centers, pointing to minutes from a budget meeting on March 17, 2025.
“You all were espousing how the center models what you were putting your money into,” McKeel said. “It’s where you were going in this community. That’s what all of us thought we were doing. And we’ve been talking about that now for years.”
Acuff said the School Board asked the long range committee to reassess the feasibility of a fourth high school and she was surprised to see that at the top of their request list. She said a new high school and the two centers that will be built are not mutually exclusive.
“With the growth going up the northern corridor, I mean, I guess we could build another center or a different kind of high school,” Acuff said. “I mean, maybe it’s not a high school [with] playing fields and all of that, but this is supposed to generate discussion of our concerns and what the feasibility is.”
McKeel said she would like to see more data on enrollment needs and actual growth before making any financial commitment. While she won’t be on the board next year, she also wanted some confidence a sales tax referendum would actually have the support of Albemarle voters.
Supervisor Ned Gallaway of the Rio District said he would not be able to support a new high school until the School Board decides where it was going to go. One potential site is on land on Berkmar Drive donated to the county through a rezoning.
“We need that decision because if we’re going to figure out how to work in 200 plus million dollars into a CIP that we just got told as a capacity of $72 million, a $0.01 sales tax or not, we got to figure that out.”
Toward the end of the conversation, Acuff said she realized Supervisors were caught by surprise by the high school discussion and need to provide more data.
“We do need more data,” Acuff said. “We need to make the case. We need to make changes not only to you all, but we need to have a sufficient argument for the community.”
There is a lot of time remaining before the proposed budget for FY2027 is unveiled by County Executive Jeffrey Richardson. There will be two new members of the Board of Supervisors by then as well as two new members of the School Board.
Before you go: Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the December 8, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. You can either subscribe through Substack, make a monthly contribution through Patreon, or consider becoming a sponsor. The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things.
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