Prince William Times 06/26/19

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FINAL STATEMENTS: Five Prince William County baseball players made the Class 6 all-state teams. Sports, Page 9.

June 26, 2019 | Vol. 202, No. 49 | www.princewilliamtimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Supervisors want school funding tied to bond referendum By Jill Palermo

Times Staff Writer

Four Prince William supervisors said they would not vote to put a bond referendum for $600 million in parks and road projects on the ballot in November unless the board also pledges to help the school division fund a plan to rid the county of its portable classroom trailers. But on the eve of the Tuesday vote, Supervisor Frank Principi, D-Woodbridge, criticized a proposed resolution addressing funding for school construction, saying it lacks “teeth.” Principi further said he won’t support the resolution or the bond referendum unless the language pledging more money to the school division is strengthened. “That resolution doesn’t do it,” Principi said Monday. “There’s not much in that resolution other than for [Superintendent Steven] Walts to come up with a plan. I will have to see a change to that resolution.”

TIMES STAFF PHOTO/JILL PALERMO

Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, left, Supervisor Marty Nohe, center, and Supervisor Frank Principi, right, discuss a proposed $600 million bond referendum June 18.

Vote set for June 25

The board was set to vote at their 7:30 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, June 25, on whether to place the bond referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot. The

vote will take place after press time. For updates, check PrinceWilliamTimes.com. If the bond referendum wins the support of at least five supervisors, it’s

is likely to be broken into three questions on the ballot: one addressing $400 million in new borrowing for 11 road projects and two addressing the proposed $200 million in parks projects. One question would ask voters if they approve of borrowing $52.4 million for outdoor parks projects. Those projects would include $6 million in upgrades for Howison Park; $6 million for a new Neabsco park, $10.8 million in improvements for Long Park, $6 million in improvements for Fuller Heights Park and $23.6 million for new trails and open space. The second question would ask for permission to borrow $147.6 million for five indoor recreation facilities. Those include a western county turf field dome, estimated to cost $4 million; an aquatics and fitness center in Woodbridge, estimated to cost $42 million; a western county indoor field house, estimated to cost $17.6 million; and the $84 million indoor track and field facility proposed for eastern Prince William. See BOND, page 4

School board sets boundaries for 13th H.S. More money promised for older schools By Jill Palermo

Times Staff Writer

After a months-long process that included accusations of segregation, the Prince William County School Board approved a boundary plan for the 13th high school on June 19 that includes a promise of more funding for low-income students and older schools across the county. Exactly how much more money will be directed to older schools and schools that teach low-income students has not yet been determined and was not discussed at the meeting. But school board adopted a resolution that

promises such investments along with the new boundary plan. School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef said the move is an attempt to address the problem at the center of the boundary debate -- inequity in Prince William County’s schools. “We’re going to really push for more money for economically disadvantaged [students], and we’re going to commit to adding programs at Stonewall Jackson, and we’re going to commit to adding infrastructure spending” for older schools, Lateef said. “So this is going to tie the hands of the board and recommit our efforts to doing this.” Without talking specifics, Lateef mentioned the recommendations of the “infrastructure task force,” a committee of parents and school division staff that worked for two years to identify shortcomings in older school facilities. See BOARD, page 2

INSIDE Classifieds .........................................17 Library................................................14 Lifestyle..............................................11

PHOTO BY ROGER SNYDER

An aerial view of the site of the 13th high school in Bristow. The school has not yet been formally named.

Obituraries . .......................................16 Opinion.................................................7 Real Estate ........................................15 Sports . ................................................9

UNION front strip 4x2

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