"Two city councilors on Tuesday advocated keeping the Jefferson Preschool program centralized, as the Charlottesville School Board heard speaker after speaker make pleas to preserve Jefferson School as an educational institution.

Attendees were alternately sharp and kind in their words toward the board, which remained silent through the public speaking section of the meeting.

M. Rick Turner, dean of the University of Virginia's African-American Affairs office, was among the most forceful in defense of the former all-black school's heritage.

"This issue is not just about finances," Turner said. "It's about race, and nobody wants to discuss it."

He blamed, in particular, the three black School Board members: "They should not be afraid to discuss the real issue of racism that continues to kill our children."

Councilor Meredith Richards suggested that the 70-year-old Jefferson School, now in disrepair, be renovated to become a regional governor's school, as similar historic schools have become in Appomattox and Richmond.

"I would like to see the School Board and the City Council work together," she said. The money could come from a combination of grants and local businesses' donations, she added.

As for the preschool, Richards said it should remain in one location, although not necessarily at Jefferson.

Councilor Kevin Lynch expressed support for keeping Jefferson Preschool in the school, a formerly all-black grammar and high school, although he admitted the council doesn't have the money "to just write a check."

"Please don't be bashful," Lynch told the crowd. "Come up to City Council and say, 'We want this.' "

Community members, many of whom met Monday as the newly formed Citizens for Jefferson School, asked the School Board to hold off on transferring the school's deed to the council. Others suggested a new superintendent, expected to start in the spring, should be part of a Jefferson School decision.

The board is set to vote Jan. 17 on a possible split of the preschool into the city's six elementary schools.

School staffers were set to speak later about budgetary implications of keeping the preschool in Jefferson, which has suffered heating and other problems recently. Staff members have suggested in the past that a split is the only possible option.

The issue has simmered for 10 years, reaching a fever pitch since December. Besides the School Board vote on the preschool, the City Council soon will approve a request for proposals in the building's reconfiguration, a plan that does not include a preschool program.

However, community members said grants can keep the preschool from being moved.

Amy Hill, the mother of a preschool student, said she and other parents, with the School Board's permission, will seek funding from the Bama Works foundation, a philanthropy organization affiliated with the Dave Matthews Band.

Wyatt Johnson, whose three children attended Charlottesville schools, said the city needs to examine its coffers - and its priorities. "When you say you can't save Jefferson, I don't buy it."

Board Chairman Richard Merriwether closed the public speaking session with a few words: "We're listening to you."

In other business, board members heard so-so news on the budget front, as Ed Gillaspie, director of business and finances, presented a preliminary budget.

The school system stands to lose $588,000 in state money, Gillaspie reported, including a $283,000 construction grant eliminated by Gov. Jim Gilmore's proposed budget.

The losses also stem from the city's rise in the composite index; communities lose state money when property values increase, Gillaspie said. A decrease in student enrollment also means less state money.

Other hits include a 35 percent increase in health care costs. Financial woes contribute to fewer than 10 job cuts, although no programs are set to be eliminated in Gillaspie's budget.

But on the positive side, the city has gained money in the form of property tax revenue because of the rise in property value, meaning $1.3 million more for the school system.

That increase will allow school employees to receive a 2 percent salary increase, in addition to the yearly step increase.

Gillaspie said the outlook likely will be brighter later in the year as legislators tinker with the state budget, which even some Republicans have criticized.

"Everybody hates this budget," Gillaspie noted with ironic optimism." (Kate Andrews, The Daily Progress, January 9, 2002)