THEY’RE ALL NO. 1: Three local wrestlers won state titles. Sports, Page 13
February 20, 2019
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Superintendent’s budget proposes raises for teachers, staff $7 million plan would boost pay 3 to 15 percent By Karen Chaffraix Times Staff Writer
Fauquier County schools Superintendent David Jeck proposed a $149.6 million fiscal year 2020 budget Tuesday that would cut make some cuts to staff and departments to fund raises aimed at making teacher salaries more competitive with neighboring counties next school year.
“Fauquier County must move toward 100-percent compensation in all steps and scales in order to attract and retain highly-qualified instructional positions in our market,” Jeck said. Citing an expected bump in education funding included in Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed budget, Jeck said the time to focus on pay compression in the teaching ranks is now. “Equity and inclusion have been our focus for the last three years, but right now we have an emergency on our hands. This year, our focus had to deal with the [pay] compression
issue,” Jeck said. Last year, Fauquier County saw 2 percent of its teachers retire and about 10 percent leave for other jobs, mostly in better-paying neighboring school divisions. “This is not sustainable,” Jeck said. What’s more, within a decade, the county will be dealing with enrollment growth, Jeck added. Given projections, six schools will be near or at capacity: Miller, Pierce, Greenville and Ritchie elementary schools; Taylor Middle School and Liberty High School.
Jeck’s budget dedicates $7 million toward rectifying wage compression, which he would pay for by making about $2.9 million in cuts combined with expected additional revenue, about $4.9 million of which would be requested from Fauquier County. Jeck’s proposal aims to bring teacher salaries into a 93- to 100-percent range of markets competing with Fauquier, which he defined as Albemarle, Culpeper, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Warren counties. See SCHOOL BUDGET, Page 4
New plan for middle schools? Fauquier leaders propose closing Taylor Middle, renovating, expanding Warrenton, Cedar Lee By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
Fauquier officials are discussing a new plan for the county’s aging middle schools that would expand and renovate Warrenton and Cedar Lee middle schools while closing Taylor Middle and using it as something other than a public school. The new proposal, discussed publicly for the first time Feb. 14, was hashed out in recent months by members of both the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors and School Board, according to members of both boards. The school board will hold a special meeting next week to discuss the proposal. The meeting will take place at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the school board office at 320 Hospital Drive. It could provide a lower-cost option than the school division’s original plan, which was to consolidate Warrenton and Taylor middle schools in a See MIDDLE SCHOOLS, Page 4 INSIDE Business.............................................11 Classified............................................34 Communities......................................28 Faith...................................................26
Warrenton Middle School is one of several the Fauquier County School Board is assessing for possible renovations.
History................................................19 Libraries.............................................31 Lifestyle..............................................21 Opinion.................................................8
Obituaries...........................................32 Puzzles...............................................10 Real Estate..........................................27 Sports.................................................13
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Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | February 20, 2019
Remembering a favorite coach Former baseball players seek to honor the late Sam Deane By Robin Earl
Times Staff Writer
A proposal to honor a beloved late youth baseball coach with an honorary plaque at Upperville Community Park has sparked a discussion among Fauquier County Parks and Recreation Board members about how to facilitate such a request. A small delegation former youth baseball players – now all men in their
ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC How to reach us ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 24-hour answering service Publisher Catherine M. Nelson, 540-347-4222 cnelson@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Managing Editor Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com Web/Copy Editor Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com
50s and 60s -- attended the board’s Feb. 6 meeting to talk about a beloved former coach who touched their lives 40 or more years ago: Sam Deane. The group said they played in Fauquier Youth Baseball League’s Midget, Pee Wee and Pony divisions during the 1960s and ’70s. The men said Deane brought black and white players together, often gave the boys rides to and from practice and worked tirelessly to
Community Editor Anita Sherman, 540-351-1635 asherman@fauquier.com Associate Editor John Toler, 540-351-0487 jtoler@fauquier.com Staff Writers Karen Chaffraix, kchaffraix@fauquier.com James Ivancic, 540-878-2414 jivancic@fauquier.com Sports Editor Peter Brewington, 540-351-1169 pbrewington@fauquier.com Sports Staff Writer Jeff Malmgren, 540-874-2250 jmalmgren@fauquier.com ADVERTISING Ad Manager Kathy Mills Godfrey, 540-351-1162 kgodfrey@fauquier.com Classified Sales Consulatant Jeanne Cobert, 540-878-2491 jcobert@fauquier.com
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maintain the field so they could play – often at his own expense. “I played for Sam Deane, and my father was his assistant coach. He brought families together… there was some strife in the schools at that time, but not on the field,” said Gene Tibbs, 56. “Some players were black, some white. It didn’t matter.” Sam Deane’s son, Mark Deane, also talked about players of all backgrounds brought together on the baseball diamond. “It was the one place that we went where it didn’t matter what color you were,” he said. “We were just together.” See COACH, Page 7
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Coach Sam Deane, with his wife Jane.
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Former Little League player Steven Rice provided this vintage photo of his former team. COURTESY PHOTO
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Fauquier Times | www.fauquier.com | February 20, 2019
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Loudoun’s top prosecutor Warrenton mulls next steps to become Fauquier judge after economic manager quits Jim Plowman to replace retiring Judge Jeffrey Parker By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
Fauquier County will soon have another new Circuit Court judge: Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman. The Virginia state Senate elected Plowman, 51, to a circuit court judgeship in the 20th Judicial Circuit on Thursday, Feb. 14. The House of Delegates previously voted on his appointment in January. Loudoun County The 20th Judicial Circuit includes Commonwealth’s Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock Attorney Jim Plowman counties. Plowman will take over the gavel Nov. 1 from Judge Jeffrey Parker, who recently announced his retirement. Plowman has served as Loudoun County’s top prosecutor since 2004. Plowman worked as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Fairfax County before running for Loudoun’s top prosecutor’s job in 2003. Parker announced his retirement in January. Parker is leaving his seat with five years on his term. The General Assembly’s vote comes just weeks after lawmakers voted to elect Fauquier Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Fisher to the 20th Judicial Circuit judgeship that had been left open for the past two years. Fisher was Plowman’s former chief deputy commonwealth’s attorney before Fisher was elected to the top prosecutor’s job in Fauquier County. Fisher will begin his judgeship July 1. Plowman’s term begins Nov. 1. Election for commonwealth’s attorney positions across the state will be held Nov. 5. Reach Jill Palermo at jpalermo@fauquier.com
By James Ivancic Times Staff Writer
The Warrenton Town Council will consider how to best to move its economic development efforts forward after Thomas G. Wisemiller resigned last week, Mayor Carter Nevill said Friday. Wisemiller, the town’s economic development manager, officially left the post Thursday, Feb. 14, after 18 months on the job. The role of the office is to “strengthen the town of Warrenton’s economic base through business development and tourism promotion,” according to a description on the town’s website. In Nevill’s view “benchmarks were not met” by Wisemiller. In part, the mayor said he believes “proper direction was not given to him” when he was initially hired. “What you should hope for is that an economic manager will give you a clear path forward. Are there places in the current zoning ordinances that keep away businesses and keep us from being more economically vibrant?” said
the mayor. “I think we need someone to show us and help lead ... to identify obstacles and deliver to us solutions.” The economic manager should also be helping existing businesses improve be more successful, he said. The town needs an “idea person” in that position, Nevill said. A call placed to Wisemiller’s cellphone for comment on Friday wasn’t returned. Last April, Wisemiller wrote and delivered to town council an economic development strategy plan. It included a recommendation for a digital marketing and branding effort; a single point of contact on town staff for new business ventures; drawing in a “destination restaurants as well as brewers, vintners, coffee roasters and bakers;” and conducting an audit of empty buildings in Warrenton. Nevill said it will be up to council to decide future funding of the economic development office. Going forward, “I think council will seriously reflect on how we apply budget funds,” Nevill said. “How we apply those funds to get
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Tom Wisemiller, Warrenton’s economic development director, resigned Thursday, Feb. 14. the best results will be the decision we’ll make.” “We need to be clearer on what’s expected” in hiring the next economic development manager, the mayor added. Wisemiller came to Warrenton in July 2017 after serving as senior economic developer for Greenville, North Carolina for 12 years. His focus there was on longrange land use planning, historic preservation and downtown revitalization, according to a biography on the town of Warrenton’s webpage. He has a master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University. Reach James Ivancic at jivancic@fauquier.com.