Teacher pay, union recognition high on new WJCC school board member's to-do list
Good morning! Today we talk to Ty Hodges, incoming W-JCC school board member. A William & Mary report details China's sneaky investments in USA, and upcoming Thanksgiving closings.
Publisher’s Note: We will not publish Friday so we can take time off with our family.
The newest member of the Williamsburg-James City County school board says improving teacher and staff pay will be his A-1 issue when he takes his seat next year. Recognizing the local teacher’s union is an important step, Ty Hodges added in a recent interview with us.
“WJCC schools have fallen so far behind with regards to benefits and compensation, I really do think it’s an act of trust to teachers, especially coming on the heels of a new agreement with the county and the city,” Hodges said.
He said getting teachers more involved in the process can help solve some of the red flag issues he sees with schools, based on conversations with educators and parents on the campaign trail.
“We are seeing increased behavioral issues with kids who are coming into our schools, a number of children are coming in quite behind where you would expect them to be in terms of basic skills, being able to identify letters and numbers,” Hodges said. “There has to be a renewed focus on literacy and reading and making sure that the time our kids have in the classroom is spent really wisely.... we have a lot of work to do.”
The Democrat edged out incumbent Republican Sarah Ortego to represent the county’s Jamestown seat on the school board early this month. He won by 35 votes, close enough to trigger a recount, but Ortego told us she’d decided against contesting the results.
Several former school board members who do not favor recognizing the teacher’s union told us it is a dangerous step, because the boards do not have taxing authority to raise funds for pay increases. In Virginia, that authority rests with the local governments.
Hodges, a former sports reporter who works in internet marketing now, said he hoped the new operating agreement signed by the schools, Williamsburg and James City County last month “represents a commitment by the city and the county to allocate more resources to the schools, which is incredibly important.”
Giving the Williamsburg/James City County Education Association a seat at the negotiating table “holds the county and the city’s feet to the fire a little bit, you need to look (them) in the face and tell (them) why (they) don’t deserve x amount.”
Hodges said he thinks there is local support for funding teacher pay raises. He noted opponents of the $190 million county government center who spoke at public meetings said that money would be better spent funding schools, among other basic services.
He recognized it will be a challenge to overcome the apathy and disconnection he found on the campaign trail among older voters, who are a third of James City County’s population.
“It was frankly a struggle to convince those people that they should care about what happens in the schools,” he said, adding “I suspect that’s a larger issue, probably, across the country – if you’re not interacting with something you tend to spend less attention to it.”
The new board member said the last week has been filled with emails and appointment setting to get ready for his new role.
He said he knows his initial job will be “getting my feet wet, diving headfirst into everything. You can only learn so much from watching the meetings online or attending meetings until you’re in the room where it happens.”
Hodges said because he is new to the board he recognizes he can’t “just walk in there and poof! magically make something happen.”
Chinese use surreptitious financing to gain leverage over our economy: W&M report
Red warning from a William & Mary research group: China has funneled more credit to American investment projects – from data centers in Northern Virginia to liquid natural gas projects in Texas – than to any other country in the world with surreptitious financing to gain leverage over our economy.
“This is an extraordinary discovery, given that the U.S. has spent the better part of the last decade warning other countries of the dangers of accumulating significant debt exposure to China, and accusing China of practicing ‘debt trap diplomacy,’” said Brad Parks, Executive director of AidData, a research lab at William & Mary.
The 300-page report, Chasing China: Learning to Play by Beijing’s Global Lending Rules – is based on data collected by 142 William & Mary students. It reveals that the scale and scope of Beijing’s portfolio is vastly larger than previously understood: $2.2 trillion of aid and credit spread across 200 countries in every region of the world.
China funneled the largest single chunk -- $202 billion -- to the United States to gain access to critical infrastructure, minerals, and high-tech assets like semiconductor companies, according to Parks.
Much of the lending and investment uses shell companies in pass-through jurisdictions with strict banking secrecy rules to hide the Chinese government’s involvement, the report said.
Although governments and alliances (like NATO and the G7) are in open competition with Beijing, AidData finds that many Western or Western-led financial institutions have chosen to collaborate with Chinese state-owned creditors — and many Western companies have borrowed large sums from the same institutions.
“Beijing is not seeking to burnish its reputation as a global do-gooder...It is focused on cementing its position as the international creditor of first — and last — resort that no one can afford to alienate or antagonize,” said Brooke Escobar, co-author of the report along with Parks.
The Biden and Trump administrations have tentatively copied some of Beijing’s tactics, the report says, bankrolling acquisition of ownership stakes in various projects across the world. But not on this scale.
The study produced a massive dataset, also available as a searchable online dashboard at China.AidData.org.
It tracks more than 30,000 projects and activities from 1,193 Chinese donors and lenders via grants and loans worth $2.2 trillion across 217 countries and territories between 2000 and 2023. During this 24-year period, 200 countries and territories received at least one grant or loan from a Chinese donor or lender.
The U.S. received $202 billion for nearly 2,500 projects and activities in nearly every state, the report said.
AidData researchers also identified 2,610 co-financing institutions — including Western and non-Western commercial banks, multilateral financial institutions, and bilateral development finance institutions and export credit agencies — that collaborated with Beijing on overseas projects and activities.
How you can give back over the holidays
The holiday season inspires generosity, and here are a couple of ways you can help others this year:
1. Reunite a service member with loved ones.
The Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce is accepting donations to provide travel stipends to service members stationed at the U.S. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown.
Last year the program sent 90 service members home to be with their families.
You can donate at this link.
2. Provide meals for the elderly.
The Meals on Wheels program is holding its annual holiday fundraiser to provide meals for seniors, veterans and disabled adults over the holidays. You can donate Online, or send a check via snail mail to Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels, PO Box 709 Williamsburg VA 23187.
Thanksgiving holiday closings and hours
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday, so most government offices, post offices and banks will be closed. Here is a list of local closings:
James City County:
County Offices:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
James City County Recreation Center and Abram Frink Jr. Community Center:
Closed Nov. 27
Open Nov. 28
Parks:
All County parks are open year-round.
Park Stores and Guest Services Offices:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
Jolly Pond Road, Tewning Road and Toano Convenience Centers:
Closed Nov. 27
Open Nov. 28
Williamsburg:
City Offices:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
Quarterpath Recreation Center:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
Waller Mill Park:
Closed Nov. 27.
The holiday does not affect trash or recycling collection in the City. It is a Blue Route Week for Residential Curbside Leaf Collection. The leaf collection will not occur on Thursday, Nov. 27 and Friday, Nov. 28. To check whether your home receives leaf collection services and on which route, look up your address at williamsburgva.gov/leafcollection.
York County
Libraries:
Close at 5 p.m. Nov. 26. Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
Courts:
Close at noon Nov. 26. Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
County government offices:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
York Poquoson Social Services:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
Waste Management Center Administration:
Closed Nov. 27 and Nov. 28.
Garbage will not be collected on Thanksgiving Day. VPPSA composting facility and drop off centers for garbage and recycling: Closed Nov. 27, Open Nov. 28
Government Meetings
York County School Board. Monday, 7 p.m., York Hall.
Passings
Judy Lynn Scarbro, 53, Nov. 20.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving time, and thank YOU for all you do to keep us informed