Community members push Albemarle school board to consider redistricting

With the Virginia High School League refusing to reclassify Albemarle High School from Group AAA to Group AA based on travel hardship, a vocal group of parents, teachers and administrators took to the Albemarle County school board meeting on Monday night to ask for the County to redistrict its schools.

As a AAA school, the Patriots currently belong to the Commonwealth District, and Albemarle's closest opponent in its district is well over an hour's drive away. Albemarle athletic director Deb Tyson presened the board with the financial benefits that redistricting would have on the County's budget.

When the floor was opened to the public, members of the community raised concerns over those travel costs with a thin budget, but also strongly voiced their concern about the effect that travel time is having on student athletes.

"I'm not here to talk about the fiscal reasons, which I realize is what this meeting was designed to address," said Albemarle volleyball coach Mark Ragland. "But I would also like to share some insight into the additional burden that our (school's) current situation puts onto our student athletes and their families. First, our athletes spend eight hours to travel for a district away match. Students at Monticello and Western spend about half that time."

Ragland was one of many to raise the travel concens, and was also one of many to add that the travel was having a long term effect on academics.

“In the long run, I have no doubt that excessive demands of our district has a long term effect on the overall academic performance of our student athletes,” Ragland said.

Were the school board to reduce the student body size at Albemarle by redistricting the area and sending roughly 300 students between Monticello and Western Albemarle, the Patriots would be eligible to join the Jefferson District. The JD currently houses both Western and Monticello but also Charlottesville, Orange County, Fluvanna County, Louisa County and Goochland — all of whom are closer in distance than any of Albemarle's CD opponents.

Former JD president and current Monticello athletic director Fitzgerald Barnes welcomed the idea of Albemarle dropping down, noting that Albemarle suffers on a community level with their current AAA classification as its natural geographic rivals are not members of the CD.

"This is what needs to happen, it's what's right for the kids," Barnes said. "The atmosphere at Monticello (athletic events) — for those of you who have been there — it's much different than Albemarle."

Barnes also proclaimed that the JD would welcome Albemarle with open arms were the school to ever drop down to AA.

"We've tried to be very creative to bring Albemarle to the Jefferson District," Barnes said. "The answer we've always got has been that this is an Albemarle County school board problem. It's not a Region II problem. It's not a Jefferson District problem. And the Virginia High School League is not going to fix it."

School board chairman Ron Price was intrigued by the numerous reasons that members of the community gave for justifying a redistricting.

"It was neat to hear that this wasn't just about transportation," Price said. "That this really was for the community and (Albemarle) being able to compete with their neighborhood schools and also for the academic piece. Both the coaches and teachers explained very well that kids are really beat up from all the traveling."

Price also did not mince words when asked whether or not Western and Monticello could absorb enough students to bring Albemarle down to AA.

"Absolutely," Price said. "They absolutely could."

But redistricting is no simple matter.

"How we get there is a long, painful decision," Price said.

Towards the end of the meeting, a handful of parents who’s children would likely be displaced by the potential move, voiced their concern over the decision and added that they felt the issue should be handled by the VHSL.