In the Hampton Roads region, combined state and local sales taxes add up to 6% to 7%.

Virginia has offered the sales tax holiday for more than a decade, usually in early August to coincide with the back-to-school season. Last year the holiday was delayed until October because of problems during budget negotiations.

Eligible tax-free items include school supplies that cost $20 or less per item, as well as clothing and footwear that cost $100 or less per item. Eligible emergency preparedness products include portable generators for $1,000 or less and gas-powered chainsaws for $350 or less. Some Energy Star and WaterSense products for home or personal use are also eligible.

Sports gear, protective equipment and accessories are not eligible. A full list of eligible items can be found online at tax.virginia.gov/virginia-sales-tax-holiday.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

The community college will work with Independent Electrical Contractors Chesapeake to offer the state and federally approved program to electrical contractors and others looking to enter the industry, the college announced in a news release. The program, backed by Department of Labor-recognized curriculum, will lead to an accredited electrician license.

Apprentices will work full-time and attend classes two nights a week for the 8,000 hours of on-the-job and classroom training required for the license, the school said. Students will learn about residential, commercial and industrial electrical as well as electrical vehicle charging and solar.

“We have no doubt this effort will benefit our community by creating clear pathways for those seeking exciting careers and benefit local employer partners by providing the support they need to develop their future workforce,” Todd Estes, VPCC vice president for workforce development, said in the announcement.

The contractor association has offered the training in Northern Virginia for more than 15 years. It has partnerships with Germanna Community College and the Community College Workforce Alliance in Richmond and will begin working with Tidewater Community College in South Hampton Roads in 2025.

An open house is tentatively planned for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Peninsula Workforce Development Center at 600 Butler Farm Road in Hampton.

In a joint statement released Friday, the university and Liberty’s Board of Trustees said it has agreed to pay Falwell an undisclosed sum in authorized retirement and severance payments and agreed on the conditions under which the school will use Jerry Falwell Sr.’s name, image and likeness.

Under the agreement, the trustees and Falwell said they “each take responsibility” for their part in the “lengthy and painful” disputes and litigation between them.

“Falwell acknowledges and apologizes for the errors in judgement and mistakes made during his time of leadership. The Board of Trustees acknowledge and apologize for the errors and mistakes made on their part as well,” the statement said.

Falwell announced his resignation in August 2020 after a provocative photo and revelations of his wife’s extramarital affair sparked criticism at the school. The photo, which Falwell posted and then deleted on social media, showed him with his pants unzipped, his stomach exposed and his arm high around the waist of his wife’s pregnant assistant. Falwell said at the time that the photo was taken at a costume party during a family vacation. Critics said the photo was evidence of hypocritical behavior from the leader of a university where students must follow a strict code of conduct.

The same month, a news outlet published an interview with a man who said he had a yearslong sexual relationship with Falwell’s wife, Becki Falwell, and that Jerry Falwell participated in some of the liaisons as a voyeur. Falwell denied any participation.

Falwell’s resignation marked a fall from power for one of the country’s most visible conservative Christian leaders. His father had aspired to make Liberty University an academic and athletic leader for evangelicals. After taking over following his father’s death in 2007, Falwell succeeded in shoring up the school’s finances and increasing its enrollment.

Two months after Falwell announced his resignation, he filed a defamation lawsuit against Liberty, alleging that the school damaged his reputation in a series of public statements. Six months later, Liberty sued Falwell, alleging he crafted a “well-resourced exit strategy” from his role as president and chancellor in the form of a lucrative 2019 employment agreement while withholding damaging information about his marital scandal that was exposed the following year.

Falwell declined to comment on the settlement but told The Washington Post, “It’s an extremely happy day for everyone.”

Nichelle Stone, who was appointed last year to fill a vacated seat until the special election, had originally filed to complete the term. She was the only candidate. But Stone has vacated her seat and withdrawn from the race, leaving it open.

“I was very honored to be appointed,” Stone said in an interview on Monday. But she said she had to leave the position and withdraw from the race to spend more time with her family because of unexpected personal matters.

The special election will be held with the general election Nov. 5. Individuals interested in running must live and be registered to vote in the Ward 5 District. If no candidate files by the deadline, the seat will be listed on the ballot with a write-in option.

The winning candidate will serve the remainder of the unexpired termthrough the end of 2026.

Stone was appointed in November after Lauren Campsen resigned because of health reasons.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

The students were looking for microplastics as part of the weeklong Camp Answer environmental science program. The camp allows students to study a community problem and develop solutions. This year, they were studying littering.

“This is a camp that brings out thinkers and doers,” said Monique Taylor, who has taught Camp Answer for four years.

Taylor takes students to sites and on neighborhood walks to track litter and check for microplastics — tiny bits of plastic that result from degraded plastic items such as bottles. They can be harmful to wildlife and aquatic animals. The students use an app — Marine Debris Tracker — to log the litter. They bring samples back to the classroom to check them under a microscope.

One of the biggest hits is when they check food from fast food locations.

“Once they’ve seen it — oh boy, the spark is now here,” she said.

Malik Jones, 12, said as he pulled apart a chicken nugget under a microscope and saw strings of microplastics inside. He had one word for the discovery: “Disgusting.”

Studies have found that microplastics can get into processed food through conveyor belts, packaging or workers’ clothes. The Churchland Middle School student said he feels motivated to encourage people to stop littering.

Waters Middle School student Alisia Staton, 13, signed up for the camp so she could do something productive during the summer. Alisia enjoyed the experiments and contributing to a solution by picking up trash during their neighborhood walks.

The students have made a poster showcasing their findings, which will be featured on the division’s website and used to help spread awareness about the impact of littering on the environment.

The camp has also sparked longer-term interest, including for Daijha Riddick, a sophomore at Chesapeake’s Western Branch. Riddick attended Camp Answer when she was a middle schooler in Portsmouth and she now, after graduation, wants a career as a water quality specialist. She came back this year as a volunteer.

“I see myself in them,” she said.

During camp, students also made reusable lunch bags from beeswax to minimize their use of disposable plastic sandwich bags. Janae Washington, a 13-year-old at Churchland Middle School, said the activity helped her understand the importance of using alternative materials. She looks forward to sharing the idea with her friends and family.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

The board passed the change in a 5-1 vote and is expected to approve the accountability framework at its August meeting.

The board began revising the system last year. A 2023 report from the secretary of education and the superintendent of public instruction recommended splitting the evaluation system into two, similar to most other states.

Critics said the combined system masked changes in academic achievement, such as not reflecting lower test scores after the pandemic.

The new system will look at student readiness, growth and proficiency. Parts of the system — including performance descriptors — were approved this summer. The new model will use four descriptors to label school performance: Distinguished, On Track, Off Track and Needs Intensive Support.

Board member Anne Holton, who cast the no vote, said Thursday she was concerned that the new descriptors essentially amounted to an A through F system. Holton said she also believed student growth should be weighted higher on the school performance report cards.

During the public comments portion of the meeting, several people spoke for and against the new system. Representatives from the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, Virginia School Boards Association, the Virginia PTA and the Virginia Education Association voiced concerns, particularly about the category descriptors and the low weight for student growth.

Those who favored the new plan, including a representative from the School Board Member Alliance, said prioritizing proficiency over growth will raise expectations and better serve all students. The School Board Member Alliance is a conservative-leaning Virginia organization that supports school board members and some boards have used it as an alternative to the Virginia School Boards Association.

As presented at Thursday’s meeting, the new framework would weigh mastery — or proficiency — at 50% to 65% of a school’s overall score, varying across school levels. Growth would account for 20% to 25%. Other indicators include readiness and graduation rates.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Meg Bryce, a psychology educator who unsuccessfully ran last year for an at-large seat on the Albemarle County school board, said Thursday at a business meeting that she was thankful that Youngkin chose her for the board, which is responsible for determining statewide curriculum standards, high school graduation requirements and qualifications for teachers.

“I have so admired what this board has already done to increase accountability and transparency and excellence in Virginia schools,” Bryce said. “Those are things that I have already fought for and it’s my honor and privilege and just a joy to be a part of those efforts going forward.”

Bryce grew up in Virginia and earned a doctorate in cognitive science from the University of Virginia. During her campaign for Albemarle school board, community members criticized Bryce for taking her children out of public schools in light of the pandemic, according to the Daily Progress. Bryce, described by a board member as a capstone mentor at the University of Virginia, has since been criticized by community leaders as being unfit for the position.

Del. Katrina Callsen, a Democrat from Albemarle, said in a Tweet that Bryce was “a failed Moms for Liberty candidate.” Teacher and Democratic Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg said on social media that Bryce had no credentials and “spent a year running for School Board embroiled in culture wars.”

James J. Fedderman, president of the Virginia Education Association, said Bryce’s appointment is “one more example in a long list of shortsighted, politically motivated decisions that serves to advance Gov. Youngkin’s anti-public education agenda while further endangering LGBTQIA+ students in the Commonwealth.”

Board President Grace Creasey, also appointed by Youngkin in 2022, said she is thrilled to have Bryce be a part of the group.

“Having an expert in psychology on the board with teaching experience is a great addition for navigating the most critical issues facing our public schools and youth today,” Creasey said, referencing mental health and other issues students face. “She is going to be a phenomenal addition to the board and a champion for students.”

Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said the governor was thankful Bryce would serve Virginians on the board, adding that she would be “instrumental in ensuring that every parent, student, and teacher receives the essential resources and support needed to thrive.”

Youngkin also tapped Ida Outlaw McPherson, a Hampton Roads-area attorney, to serve on the board, filling out the nine-member group after two seats opened up this month.

McPherson, a Howard University law school graduate, was previously appointed by Gov. Bob McDonnell to serve as the director of the Department of Minority Business Enterprise, now titled the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity. She also served as the former president of the NAACP Suffolk Chapter, Creasey said.

McPherson’s community work would help her bring a critical lens to the board, Creasey said.

Fedderman said almost all of Youngkin’s appointees, including McPherson, were inexperienced with K-12 public education policy and practice, and they “lack many of the requisite credentials generally expected for a seat on that Board.”

___

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

What does that mean?

Starting in kindergarten, students already are building the blocks that lead from self-awareness to community awareness and, ultimately, career awareness and readiness. The approach seeks to help students answer three questions: Who am I? What do I want? How do I get there?

Last summer, the division was named the first Ford Next Generation Learning K-12 Community in the nation. Ford NGL, which is supported by the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Co., focuses on getting more businesses and community groups involved in schools so students are better prepared for careers when they graduate. The division’s high school academies became part of the Ford NGL Community in 2017.

Chief Academic Officer James Harris said the division recognized that this work couldn’t be limited to the high schools.

“We knew we had to backwards-map this, which is why we started in kindergarten to ensure that we align our efforts,” he said.

The program for younger students has been piloted over the past year and implementation for third through eighth grade begins this fall. Kindergarten through second-grade experiences will continue in the pilot phase at some schools this year. The division refers to the approach as “signature experiences.”

In kindergarten, students begin with observing and recognizing growth. For example, they’ll learn about plant growth in their “Kinder Garden,” then draw self-portraits each quarter to recognize their growth. At the third grade level, that self-awareness would include keeping reflection journals and gratitude jars, then culminating with a “Museum of Me” exhibit at the end of the year, a visual representation that the student creates.

In fourth grade, students would focus on community and participate in activities such as visiting city council and creating an advocacy campaign. In fifth grade, the focus shifts to careers with visits to industry partners and a “reverse career fair” where students would take on the role of a business and make a presentation at the end of the year.

The focus becomes more local in middle school with students learning about the maritime industry or navigating the Hampton Roads Transit system.

Though the activities are not unique to Hampton schools, division officials say the approach works because it is more strategic and intentional. Experiences are layered and written into the curriculum, giving all students the same opportunities.

Nour Habib, nour.habib@virginiamedia.com

Basnight addressed the recent “evolution of misinformation” in the community about the project during his approximately hourlong presentation at a public hearing held the evening of July 10 at First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills.

Three school administrations dating back to 2015, and “actively since 2018,” have worked toward establishing an early college in Dare County, Basnight said.

Research on early college students in North Carolina shows the benefits of these public schools, formally called cooperative innovative high schools, he said.

“They have higher ACT scores, higher attendance rates, lower suspensions, lower dropout, higher enrollment in four-year universities, are more likely to vote and less likely to be convicted of a crime during late adolescence,” Basnight said.

The early college schools’ focus is on students completing either an associate degree or a trade certification along with their high school degree, he said.

Originally, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction outlined its targeted student populations as first-generation college students, English language learners, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, students who want an accelerated academic track, minority students and students at risk of not graduating, he said.

Those targets have been condensed into three: First-generation college-goers, students at risk of dropping out of high school and students who would benefit from accelerated learning opportunities.

“I don’t know any students who are left out of these categories,” he said. “That’s why it’s for everyone.”

The Dare County Board of Commissioners discussed the early college proposal in public meetings over several months this year and last year and was poised to vote on the project as part of its budget process on June 3.

But three Democratic county commissioner candidates spoke against the project and what they called a lack of public input on it.

Commissioners also received emails opposing the project, and they ended up voting on budget items except for the early college, choosing to wait for the board of education to schedule and hold a public hearing first.

Commissioner Ervin Bateman said during the June 3 meeting that he received 17 emails asking him to not vote on the project or to delay the vote.

“I used to belong to that entity,” Bateman said. He was registered as a Democrat until 2021, when he switched his party affiliation to Republican, according to an article in The Coastland Times.

“This is political, and that’s wrong,” he said vehemently.

Some of the emails opposing the early college, which The Pilot requested and received from the county, did come from Democratic candidates and registered Democrats. Others came from registered Republicans and independents.

About 80 people attended the July 10 public hearing, which both commissioners and school board members attended, and 14 members of the public spoke. Six public commenters expressed firm support, and eight shared concerns.

Joe Tyson, principal of First Flight High School, spoke passionately in favor of the early college. He called it “a gateway to boundless opportunities for students, [who] can earn college credits [and] invaluable skills, and develop a passion for lifelong learning — all before they even graduate high school.”

Kenny Brite, a Republican candidate for the board of education, also voiced his support. He said he’d talked to community members about it, including one Rodanthe man who said his son had registered for school with his mom’s address in Currituck County specifically so he could attend the early college in Currituck.

Aida Havel, a Democratic county commissioner candidate who spoke publicly June 3 and also emailed her concerns, said at the July 10 hearing that “there has been some suggestion that the opposition to the early college is political.”

Havel said she wanted to clearly share her concerns, noting, “I am not against the idea of early college.”

She continued, “I think it is fiscally irresponsible to build a $20 million building while not promptly taking care of what we already have; what message is that sending to our children?”

Several other speakers asked why the early college concept couldn’t be brought into the existing high schools.

“The early college program sounds wonderful for the kids that get to be a part of it,” said Jim Metzinger, a Manteo High School teacher. “Why can we not embed that model in our current high schools?”

Bobby Outten, county manager and attorney, explained toward the end of the meeting that the funding for the proposed early college, which comes from state lottery funds and “a portion of the sales tax fund,” could only be used for the construction and major repairs of school buildings.

The county cannot “redirect those resources into trying to implement the program” in existing schools because they are “capital resources,” Outten said.

He explained that the money could similarly not go toward teacher salaries, which Basnight also addressed in his presentation.

Several people who emailed concerns had been upset the proposed early college funding wasn’t directed to teacher salaries or to other school improvement projects.

“This is not an either or,” Basnight said during his presentation, stressing that needed school repairs are not being ignored.

The school system’s ongoing capital improvements plan is a plan that is constantly in flux, he explained. He also thanked commissioners for recently providing funding to raise local teachers’ salaries, and he promised to return before commissioners to ask for more.

The suit was filed in June by parents of Louisiana public school children with various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language forbidding government establishment of religion and guaranteeing religious liberty. Backers of the law argue that the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because the commandments are historical and are part of the foundation of U.S. law.

The Louisiana law requires the commandments be posted no later than Jan. 1, a deadline unaffected by Friday’s agreement. The deal assures that the defendants in the lawsuit — state education officials and several local school boards — will not post the commandments in classrooms before Nov. 15, and won’t make rules governing the law’s implementation before then.

Lester Duhe, a spokesman for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said the defendants “agreed to not take public-facing compliance measures until November 15” to provide time for briefs, arguments and a ruling.

In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says Congress can “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The high court found that the law had no secular purpose but rather served a plainly religious purpose.

In 2005, the Supreme Court held that such displays in a pair of Kentucky courthouses violated the Constitution. At the same time, the court upheld a Ten Commandments marker on the grounds of the Texas state Capitol in Austin.

Louisiana’s new law does not require school systems to spend public money on Ten Commandments posters. It allows the systems to accept donated posters or money to pay for the displays.

The law also specifically authorizes but does not require other postings in public schools, including: The Mayflower Compact, which was signed by religious pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and is often referred to as America’s “First Constitution”; the Declaration of Independence; and the Northwest Ordinance, which established a government in the Northwest Territory — in the present day Midwest — and created a pathway for admitting new states to the Union.

The legal challenge to the law came soon after it was signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who succeeded two-term Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in January. Landry’s inauguration marked a full takeover of state government by the GOP in a Bible Belt state where the party already held other every statewide elected position and a supermajority in the Legislature.