Affordable housing, mental health treatment headline Prince William legislative breakfast

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors and School Board assembled alongside the local state delegation and congressional leaders Dec. 2 for the annual legislative breakfast at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center.

Affordable housing and the county's new community crisis receiving center were front and center at the meeting, and traffic safety issues resurfaced several times.

School Board Chairman At-Large Babur B. Lateef opened the meeting with an update on Prince William County Public Schools. He said Prince William graduates received $123 million in scholarships over the past year, with a new goal of $250-260 million set for 2025.

Lateef added the school district also saw improvements in Advanced Placement class enrollment, success rate and test-takers over the past year. 

He outlined five legislative priorities for the upcoming session of the Virginia General Assembly, namely strengthening Virginia’s teacher pipeline; improving funding for school support positions such as counselors as well as instructional coaches and teachers; increasing options for elementary education endorsement; financial assistance for special education positions; and school construction, renovation and modernization, including leveling out Dominion Energy’s high fees for school solar arrays in Prince William County.

Where school support positions are concerned, Lateef touched on the need to remove support caps multiple times. He said the school district's current goal is to have a ratio of 250 students per counselor.

“That money was all cut in 2007 in the recession and never fully restored,” he said. “We get nickels and dimes each year, a little bit here, a little bit there, but if you really want to make a difference, if you're telling our schools that with the new accreditation requirements you need support or you're off track, this change will dramatically increase the amount of dollars that Prince William County schools will get, as will all other school divisions.”

Lateef continued, “If we're running budget surpluses at the General Assembly, I think this is the No. 1 item I know all schools would love to have you guys look at.”

Prince William County Public Schools Superintendent LaTanya D. McDade spoke about teacher retention and transitioned to Donna Eagle, chief human resources officer for the school district. Eagle emphasized the need for increased teacher housing and new apartment complexes for teachers specifically. The topic came back up for discussion later on during the meeting under the broader umbrella of workforce housing. 

Around 35 minutes in, Lateef turned the microphone over to Board of County Supervisors Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson, a Democrat, who touted the board's $105.1 million increase in education funding over the past year, in addition to fully-funded collective bargaining agreements for fire and rescue personnel and an increase in the computer and peripherals, or "C and P," tax on data centers from $2.15 to $3.70 per $100 of valuation.

Glynn Loope, the county’s legislative affairs liaison, then presented the Board of County Supervisors’ legislative agenda, echoing Lateef’s request to repeal the support cap ratio.

Loope mentioned the crisis receiving center, set to open in Woodbridge next June.  

Potomac District Supervisor Andrea Bailey later made a plea to fellow Democrat and Congressman-elect Eugene Vindman – who made a surprise appearance at the legislative breakfast – for increased mental health care and support of the crisis receiving center, notably regarding the Medicaid implications of the center’s official classification as a mental health treatment facility.

Coles District School Board member Lisa A. Zargarpur concurred with Bailey, supporting a heightened focus on community mental health and an increase in the number of hospital beds across all facilities.

In tandem with new treatment options, several supervisors voiced an urgent need for immediate housing assistance. 

Initially, Virginia state Del. Josh Thomas, a Democrat, requested supervisors look into the mass production of modular affordable dwelling units, or ADUs, to allow for greater workforce housing. 

“There are 12 companies in the United States right now that can mass produce ADUs, construct them and sell them for $200,000 to $300,000 as full homes, which is the exact target for workforce housing that we keep talking about again and again and again," Thomas said.

Thomas continued, “Regardless of the [area median income], not to just really drill down into the policy right here, but I would just ask the board to continue to be flexible in those issues as well as we try to replicate that at the state level.”

Jefferson agreed with Thomas on principle but responded in kind, reorienting the burden toward the state delegation.

“We are going to lean hard on Richmond, on getting access to [Virginia State Code 15.2-2304], which would give us additional flexibility for creating an affordable dwelling ordinance, and that's what we really need,” Jefferson said. “So I'm putting it back on you, bro – I'm putting it back on you and the entire General Assembly, because we need that flexibility.”

Brentsville District Supervisor Tom Gordy, a Republican, and Woodbridge Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin, a Democrat, promised a joint effort across both sides of the aisle to address the housing shortage.

Near the meeting’s conclusion, Loope interjected once more to mention Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s pending $75 million workforce housing initiative, a proposal announced in November, which seeks to alleviate housing costs by increasing the supply thereof.

Elsewhere, Franklin and Neabsco District Supervisor Victor S. Angry both expressed concerns over vehicle accidents and deaths on Cardinal Drive as well as speeding concerns. Bailey reiterated those worries and said several supervisors have worked to instill new speeding cameras in their dual roles as members of the Virginia Association of Counties. 

The meeting wrapped up with Lateef praising Vindman for attending the meeting, saying it was the first time in Lateef's seven years that a U.S. congressman or congressman-elect has attended. 

Vindman addressed the joint session directly, affirming his intent to be “interactive and accessible” during his impending term. He added he would work with fellow Democratic U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam to aid western Prince William County.

Vindman also listed infrastructure and veterans’ issues among his top priorities, adding he appreciates the quality of local schools as a Prince William parent and Dale City resident himself.