The Students
Charlottesville City Schools serves students who are economically, racially, and ethnically diverse.
Charlottesville City Schools served 4,300 students (K-12) as of October 2019
Of those students: 41.7% white, 30.8% black, 12.6% Hispanic/Latino, 6.2% Asian/Pacific Islander/Hawaii, 8.8% 2+ or other races
ESL students make up 14% of the population
44% are economically disadvantaged
51 Languages are spoken
The Need
7/31/2020 Charlottesville City Schools Coronavirus Update on Fall Learning Plan: The School Board voted to approve the revised calendar and an online learning plan for the first nine weeks of the fall.
Angel Feero, Johnson PTO parent and Elementary Programming Coordinator for Abundant Life families, stated, "Virtual learning significantly increases the challenges of providing an equitable education - we ask the community to come together to ensure that our families are supported, teachers are equipped, and that ALL of our community's children have the resources they need to access online schooling as best they can during these unprecedented times.”
The money raised will go toward ensuring that all teachers are supported to work in the new virtual environment, and students and families have an equal opportunity to productively engage in the nine-week virtual-learning phase mandated by the district’s reopening plan. The new fund is managed by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF). Individuals, foundations, and companies can donate through the fund’s page at CACF.
“Administrators and teachers are creating a new online education experience from the ground up, bringing all of their expertise and creativity to this daunting challenge. There will be unanticipated needs as families enter the virtual learning space, and unfortunately our budget is limited with no new federal funding on the horizon,” said CCS Superintendent Rosa Atkins. “Support from the community will help meet those needs.”
With varying financial situations and employment and schedule demands, each family’s needs will be unique. A family with multiple children all learning around the same kitchen table may need help purchasing quality headphones and privacy dividers to minimize distraction and maximize learning for each child. A teacher with an amazing curricula idea might need an external monitor to bring it to life.
The fund intends to fill these needs without increasing the financial stress so many of our families are facing, or adding to the out of pocket expenses so many of our hard-working teachers incur every year to make their classroom the best it can be.
Khalesa Powell, Jackson-Via PTO co-chair and parent to multiple children at every level in CCS, wants every child to have what they need to succeed in the virtual environment, whether that is physical supplies or individual attention from an adult at home or at a community learning center. “My children from young elementary to high school all have different needs and my goal is a comfortable workspace for each and the one-on-one attention they may require. We need to work together to get this done for everyone’s children to be successful.”
PLEASE JOIN US to ensure that each learner succeeds and to support the teachers, staff, and community partners working hard on behalf of students.