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  4. Charlottesville and Albemarle School Divisions Collaborate on Smooth Transition for CATEC in July 2024

Charlottesville and Albemarle School Divisions Collaborate on Smooth Transition for CATEC in July 2024

April 12, 2023

Charlottesville City Schools has developed a framework for continuing shared access to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Career and Technical Education Center (CATEC) once it transitions to the sole ownership of the city school division in July 2024. CATEC Director Stephanie Carter will brief the Charlottesville School Board at their meeting on April 13, and Charlottesville Superintendent Royal A. Gurley, Jr. will update the Charlottesville City Council on April 17.

With the goal of continuity of programming and access in mind, Charlottesville staff have been in discussions with Ms. Carter and Albemarle Superintendent Dr. Matthew S. Haas about the new structure for student slots and fees. In August 2024, the number of slots available to ACPS students will remain the same as they are now (300 out of a total of 400). Moving forward, the school divisions will utilize a slot reservation system, forecasting three or more years in order to avoid sudden changes that could interrupt smooth operations. 

“The City is committed to workforce development for the Charlottesville area, and ACPS students are important stakeholders for the employers in our area,” Gurley said. 

Charlottesville also has proposed a per-pupil tuition model that would provide access to Albemarle students at a cost less than what ACPS is paying now. Tuition will be paid by the student’s school division, not individual families, and will be based on CATEC’s total operating budget – excluding capital expenses, certain overhead costs, or any programs that are exclusive to a single school division – divided by the total number of slots. The tuition rate will be set on a biennial basis, corresponding with the state biennial budget process, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) applied to year 1 tuition to determine the rate for year 2.

While this transition plan reflects the current reality that ACPS students make up the majority of CATEC high school slots, in the future if ACPS students do not participate in CATEC, the center could take on a greater role in adult education for the region. Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook has called for the creation of a task force to discuss a larger workforce development plan.

Charlottesville Schools also reported progress from several of the working groups supporting the transition. These working groups include accounting/finances, human resources/personnel, instruction & partnerships, infrastructure/facilities, and technology, as well as two coordinating teams comprised of CCS, ACPS, and CATEC leaders. Some transition tasks have been completed, such as the IT team assessment of current CATEC infrastructure and successful application for funding to upgrade the wide area network (WAN). Some tasks are in progress such as on-boarding new CATEC staff as CCS employees; while other tasks are planned for the summer and fall, including migrating CATEC staff to CCS email and other software systems, and having informational meetings with current CATEC employees.

“These working groups are meeting regularly – as often as weekly – to have these important conversations and find mutually beneficial systems so that when July 2024 gets here, we are ready for that seamless transition,” noted Charlottesville Board chair James Bryant.

In accordance with the original 1969 partnership agreement between the Charlottesville City and Albemarle County school divisions, Albemarle County Public Schools initiated the process to dissolve the CATEC partnership by making a formal offer in December 2022 to purchase Charlottesville City Schools’ one-half interest in CATEC. In response, the Charlottesville City School Board voted to exercise its option under the 1969 agreement to purchase the ACPS stake at that same price, rather than selling the City’s interest. This decision ensures long-term access to career & technical education for Charlottesville High School students and supports workforce development for the City and surrounding area.

“This new chapter for CATEC will create limitless opportunities for our students and the community. We know that CATEC teaches skills that are highly needed in our area. We look forward to continuing the work with business and community partners to assure that CATEC remains valuable to everyone.” -said Charlottesville Vice-Mayor Juan Wade

  • March 24, 2023

    Charlottesville City Schools and Albemarle County Public Schools are proactively working together to ensure that the Charlottesville-Albemarle Career and Technical Education Center (CATEC) continues to thrive once it transitions to the sole ownership of the city school division in July 2024.

    Charlottesville Superintendent Dr. Royal A. Gurley and Albemarle Superintendent Dr. Matthew S. Haas are meeting regularly to discuss ideas under consideration by the following six working groups:

    1. Accounting/Finances, which includes the financial structure & systems as well as student slots and tuition models.

    2. Human Resources/Personnel, which includes transitioning to new systems for staff time-keeping and attendance systems, as well as bringing employees into Charlottesville Schools’ benefits systems. One early decision relating to this committee is that any new employees hired by CATEC in the 2023-24 school year will immediately become Charlottesville Schools employees to avoid a back-to-back transition for these new staff members.

    3. Programming & Partnerships includes the continuity of current programming and maintaining strong relationships with community partners.

    4. Infrastructure/Facilities includes aligning the CATEC facilities’ protocols and building systems with Charlottesville’s practices around security and maintenance.

    5. Technology is working on the incorporation of the CATEC IT network into current Charlottesville systems and building out email and other staff accounts for CATEC employees.

    6. A final group will take on miscellaneous tasks such as liaising with the Virginia Department of Education about this transition. An early outcome in this category would be the decision to keep the name CATEC as a sign of the continuity of programming.

    As of July 1, 2024, the name will be Charlottesville Area Technical Education Center (with a slight shift from “Albemarle” to “Area”).

    CATEC Director Stephanie Carter maintains ongoing conversations with key staff at both school divisions and will be making reports to both School Boards. In addition, Dr. Gurley will offer an update to the Charlottesville City Council at the April 17 meeting.

    Charlottesville Board Chair James Bryant said, “One thing that we have heard repeatedly from the community is that CATEC is an invaluable resource that should be protected. As Board members, we could not agree more, and continuity is our goal.”

    In accordance with the original 1969 partnership agreement between the Charlottesville City and Albemarle County school divisions, Albemarle County Public Schools initiated the process to dissolve the CATEC partnership by making a formal offer in December 2022 to purchase Charlottesville City Schools’ one-half interest in CATEC. In response, the Charlottesville City School Board voted to exercise its option under the 1969 agreement to purchase the ACPS stake at that same price, rather than selling the City’s interest.

  • February 2, 2023

    Charlottesville City Schools will assume sole ownership of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Technical Education Center (CATEC) in order to ensure students’ continued access to valuable career and technical education, part of the City’s larger vision for workforce development.

    In accordance with the original 1969 partnership agreement between the Charlottesville City and Albemarle County school divisions, Albemarle County Public Schools initiated the process to dissolve the CATEC partnership by making a formal offer in December 2022 to purchase Charlottesville City Schools’ one-half interest in CATEC for $5.3 million. Tonight, the Charlottesville City School Board voted to exercise its option under the 1969 agreement to purchase the ACPS stake at that same price, rather than selling the City’s interest.

    Charlottesville City Schools believes that the scale and scope of technical education are best supported by the joint effort of the two school divisions, who together built this successful program over more than 50 years. However, in light of Albemarle County Public Schools’ move to dissolve the partnership, CCS leaders chose to take ownership of the school because selling it to Albemarle Schools would jeopardize Charlottesville students’ ability to continue learning at CATEC. ACPS has previously made it clear that under its ownership, accommodating city students would not be a priority; a change as simple as a bell schedule adjustment could effectively block Charlottesville students from enrolling at CATEC. CCS intends to continue to operate the facility as a regional resource.

    “After ACPS moved to dissolve the partnership, continuing jointly was no longer an option,” said Charlottesville School Board Chair James Bryant. “The question then was whether or not to assume ownership of the program and protect Charlottesville students’ access to these vital opportunities.”

    A secondary factor in CCS’s decision was that ACPS’s formal offer presumed a total value of $10.6 million for the CATEC real estate and personal property, in comparison to independent professional appraisals that valued the assets at over $11.8 million in their current use.

    Founded in 1973, CATEC helps teens and adults train for the jobs they seek. High school students can receive recognized certifications or credentials in ten industries: automotive body technology, automotive service technology, carpentry, cosmetology, culinary arts, electricity, fire science, emergency medical technician, nurse assistant, and veterinary science. Students completing select CATEC programs receive, on average, 11 dual-enrollment college credits from local community colleges.

    “CATEC is an incredible community resource and Charlottesville City Schools looks forward to continuing to build on the program’s success for the students of today and tomorrow,” said Board Vice Chair Dom Morse.

    Logistics of the change in leadership still need to be discussed between the two divisions. Charlottesville City Schools is committed to a smooth transition for CATEC students and staff.

    Learn more about Charlottesville City Schools at www.charlottesvilleschools.org. Our address is 1562 Dairy Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22903. Phone: (434) 245-2400. Fax: (434) 245-2603.