Magruder critics slam York school board
Good morning! Opponents of Magruder Elementary's name slam the school board...James City and York want the right to charge admissions taxes...and more discussion on James City data center rules.
Three proponents of changing Magruder Elementary School’s name chastised the York County school board at its regular meeting Monday for voting against the name change, after a poll of county residents found a majority wanted to keep the Magruder name.
Resident Sam Ray noted there was little discussion when the board members voted last month 3-1 to keep Magruder’s name.
The board acted after a poll of county residents showed 58% wanted to keep the name. District 1 First district board member Mark J. Shafer was the sole vote for changing the name, and District 5 representative Lynda J. Fairman was absent.
Ray and two other speakers accused Board Chair Kimberly S. Goodwin of appearing on a social video telling the conservative York County Breakfast Club that the board never intended to change the name, and that the survey was done for the optics.
Goodwin denied the charge, saying she had been asked several pointed questions about how the survey was developed.
“Eventually, I said, ‘I don’t think you have anything to worry about,’ referring to the survey’s process. Unfortunately, a few attendees chose to interpret that as meaning the survey was just a cover, which was not the case,” she told us.
“When asked why the survey was even necessary, I explained that it was partly about “optics,” meaning that it’s important for the community to see that we actively seek public input—something our division consistently strives to do. That comment was also misinterpreted as suggesting the survey was unimportant. In reality, the data it produced played a crucial role in helping the board make its decision.
“During the meeting, a man—who, along with his wife, is a personal friend of Ms. Fairman—recorded the entire discussion,” said Goodwin, who believes that video may have been briefly posted online.
Goodwin and Shafer said the issue had been discussed extensively in a previous work session, which is why the board moved quickly once the survey was completed.
At that work session, the board asked then Superintendent Victor D. Shandor to put together a survey of county residents to get their feelings on the issue.
At their Monday night meeting, the school board also invited residents to fill out another survey, this one for the school superintendent search. The survey, posted on the school board website, runs until Friday, October 31st.
School Chief Operations Officer James Carroll is serving as Interim superintendent following Shandor’s retirement.
Correction.
This article originally included York County as also being in favor of an admissions tax, based on our reporting of York County’s Oct. 7 meeting to discuss its legislative agenda. We have reviewed both the video and transcript from that meeting, and while the supervisors discussed whether they wanted to impose such a tax, we could not hear them actually instructing county staff to remove it from their agenda. But the agenda published on the county’s website does not include the tax, as one of our readers pointed out. So we have removed it from this story. We appreciate our readers for keeping us honest, please feel free to review the meeting yourself.
James City seeks admissions tax
One of the goodies James City county wants from the state legislature is the ability to levy an admissions tax on attractions such as Busch Gardens and Water Country.
The county cannot levy such a tax because of the 1% additional sales tax authorized in the Historic Triangle in 2018 to help fund tourism marketing.
The tax, called the “Tommy Tax” because of its sponsorship by former Senator Thomas Norment, is split 50-50 between a historic triangle marketing fund and the localities where the tax is collected.
At its meeting this week, James City’s board of supervisors approved a 2026 Legislative Agenda this month that includes approval of the tax.
James City mulls data center rules
No data center has come knocking yet, but James City County supervisors are still mulling how they can open the county to the lucrative industry without hurting neighborhoods, water and electricity supplies. Grove residents have expressed concern their neighborhoods will be targeted.
Last month the supervisors amended the county’s zoning laws to restrict data centers to the M-2 general industrial district.
That move reduces potential sites for a data center, and the supervisors reviewed a draft policy on Tuesday that could reduce sites even further.
The policy requires data centers to be connected to a public water system and should be within two miles of an existing electrical transmission line.
Jamestown Supervisor John J. McGlennon noted there has been talk of Grove as a location, something he is concerned about. The former BASF manufacturing facility is located on the James River and is close to a major transmission line.
But Grove residents have pushed back on the site, saying a data center there would eliminate opening a stretch of the James River waterfront for beach access to residents.
Powhatan representative Michael J. Hipple floated the idea of using some of the taxes a data center would generate to plow back into the Grove community – or whatever community a data center happens to end up in.
Ruth Larson, representative for the Berkeley district, seconded the idea, adding “I don’t think we’ve invested in (the Grove) area of the county the way we should.”
Larson noted that district generates the largest amount of taxes in the county from Busch Gardens, Anheuser Busch and other industries and warehouses.
State Headlines
Virginia SNAP substitute to roll out weekly through November
Va. Democrats roll out redistricting amendment to counter GOP map changes in other states
Fun & Games
W&M Dance presents “Dancevent”. Oct. 30 – Nov. 2 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.. Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall. $20/$7 child.
Daryll Gore Fall Nationals. Nov. 1 – 2. Kiwanis Park.
The Virginia Cat Festival. Nov. 1 – 2. Williamsburg Lodge. $15-$40.
Williamsburg Fall Festival. Nov. 1. Noon to 4 p.m.. 200 College Row.
York County Vintage Market. Nov. 1. 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. McReynolds Athletic Complex, Yorktown. Free.
Passings
I covered the Oct. 7 meeting where they discussed their priorities and talked about having taxes that would bring more money from tourists. They didn't ask that it be removed. But I just looked at the final draft and see it's not there, so have reached out to the county to ask how and when it was removed. Didn't see mention of it in the following meeting's consent agenda.
If the name change nonsense is still the lead story, we must surely doing OK in the Burg these days.