Chesterfield County Public Schools leaders who think issues inside the classroom are getting less attention from county officials than school construction projects are seeking more independence from the county government heading into annual budget talks.
The School Board withdrew from the county’s Audit and Finance Committee and created a parallel panel dedicated to school affairs Tuesday, over the written objections of County Administrator Joe Casey.
“Our ability to collaborate in settings like [the committee] has allowed both of us to successfully address many of the serious issues that have arisen,” Casey wrote interim schools Superintendent Donald Fairheart last week after learning of the division’s intentions.
Fairheart laid out the system’s concerns in a follow-up letter to Casey dated Oct. 8. Fairheart’s letter admonished the county for what he said was overstepping its legal boundaries and taking an outsized interest in governance of the school system, citing conversations about pupil-teacher ratios, supports available for English language learners and potential sites to…
