Williamsburg, James City County and the Williamsburg-James City County School Board on Friday signed a 10-year funding agreement for their joint school division.
The contract ends two years of uncertainty about the WJCC school division, which the two localities jointly ran since 1955. The previous agreement expired this year.
School Board Chair Sarah Ortego called it a win for the city, county and school division.
“But this is really a win for the students at WJCC Schools,” Ortego said.
The agreement includes several new provisions.
- A “more predictable” pathway to increase WJCC’s operating funds, with the city and county increasing their contributions by millions next year; Williamsburg will pay $14.45 million and James City County will pay $104.5 million.
- Funding will be adjusted each year based on enrollment; the city and county will also contribute more based on the number of students enrolled in special programming, such as special education or English learner programs.
- Williamsburg and James City County will pay maintenance and upgrades on facilities within their boundaries and split the cost of shared spaces such as the administration building, pre-K centers and Cooley Field.
- The localities will submit their revenue estimates to the division each October, giving WJCC administrators and school board members more time to craft a budget.
The contract reflects requests from the localities prior to October. County officials wanted the deal to restructure what they saw as an outdated funding model that left them paying more than their fair share. City officials wanted predictable budget increases to address achievement gaps for city students.
Previously, the agreement was solely between the division’s funding localities. The agreement now includes the WJCC School Board as a signing member. Leaders from each board believed having the schools be party to the agreement would improve the budgeting process and better tie funding to specific student achievement goals.
The contract received unanimous support from each board. Williamsburg Mayor Doug Pons said that’s a testament to the amount of time they spent working together on the deal.
The agreement also opens the possibility for more James City County representation on the joint school board. Currently, the board consists of five elected members from the county and two appointed members representing Williamsburg.
Under the deal, the county’s board could vote to add another two elected members to the school board. Jim Icenhour, chair of the county board of supervisors, said that’s unlikely to happen soon and would be in response to continued population growth in James City County.
After a brief recess, Ortego said the funding agreement clears the way for the localities to focus on improving student success.
“This is a new beginning,” she said, “a stronger beginning.”
Talk of breaking up the division started when Williamsburg announced it was exploring splitting off in June 2023. James City County then voted in July to terminate the joint agreement when it expired in 2025. Decoupling would have been an unprecedented and costly process.
WJCC entered the 2025-26 school year without a joint agreement but that did not impact operations since the city and county approved budgets before the agreement expired.
WJCC Schools is a member of HRETA, which owns WHRO’s broadcast license.
