Negotiations on the future of the joint Williamsburg-James City County school system have been running longer than some television dramas, and the next installment takes place Tuesday.
That’s when the James City County board of supervisors will meet with county representatives on the school board behind closed doors, away from parents and taxpayers, to update them on negotiations with the city of Williamsburg. Virginia law requires meetings of three or more officials on the same governing body to be announced ahead of time and to be held publicly, although they can then invoke exemptions in the law to withdraw from public view to discuss contracts, legal issues and several other matters.
“We’re still talking,” County Administrator Scott Stevens told us. “We don’t have an agreement in place, but as long as we’re talking I think we’re good.”
The issue surfaced in June of 2023, when Williamsburg City Council voted to study running its own school system. County supervisors, who said they w…