Charlottesville officials discuss school construction as November funding referendum takes shape
Charlottesville City Council and the Charlottesville School Board met August 3, 2026, for a special joint discussion of school construction as the city moves toward a November 3 referendum on a proposed 1% local sales-tax increase.
The increase has not been approved. Charlottesville City Schools says City Council added the referendum to the November 3, 2026, election ballot, where voters are expected to decide whether to raise the local sales tax by 1% to support school construction and renovations.
What officials discussed
The City of Charlottesville’s public-meetings calendar identifies the August 3 gathering as a special joint meeting of City Council and the School Board focused on school construction. The approved records do not include final votes from the meeting, a selected construction plan or a projection of how much revenue the proposed tax increase could generate.
That means the meeting marks a public step in the city’s planning process, but it does not establish that officials adopted a final construction program. The referendum’s legal wording and final ballot status also should be confirmed through the city’s election filing.
Changes planned for the 2026-27 school year
City school-facilities information describes a broader reconfiguration for the 2026-27 school year. Sixth-graders are scheduled to attend the redesigned Charlottesville Middle School, while fifth-graders are expected to return to elementary schools. The plan also calls for a designated early-education center.
Those changes connect the construction discussion to the buildings and grade arrangements serving Charlottesville students and families. The records do not provide a final list of construction projects or say whether the proposed sales-tax increase would cover the full program.
Existing city funding and the next decision
Charlottesville’s FY2026 adopted budget already allocated $6 million for school capital through the city’s capital-improvement program. The same budget allocated $1.5 million to the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund, providing additional fiscal context for decisions about how city resources are allocated.
If placed before voters as described by the school-facilities page, the November 3 referendum would give taxpayers the next major public decision on the proposed school-construction funding mechanism. A successful measure could affect local sales-tax costs and future school facilities, while also shaping the city’s borrowing or capital planning. The available records do not provide an estimate of referendum revenue.
For now, the key date is November 3, 2026. The proposal remains subject to the election process and voter approval.
Sources
- Public Meetings calendar, City of Charlottesville
- Charlottesville City Schools Facilities, Charlottesville City Schools
- FY2026 Adopted Budget, City of Charlottesville
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