Sawyers Sends DOJ Letter Alleging Racial Inequity in School Grants

Prince William School Board Chairman At-large Ryan Sawyers and two other board members sent a letter to the United States Department of Justice, Monday. The letter alleges that the county supervisors’ grant of $21.2 million for capital improvement to reduce overcrowding in schools would favor white, affluent students.

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The letter was sent following the school board's approval of the PRICE design for the 13^th high school and the acceptance of the supervisors’ grant at Wednesday’s special school board meeting.

Vice Chair Lillie Jessie and Woodbridge member Loree Williams, the other two supervisors to oppose the school design, Wednesday, also signed the letter. The PRICE model, based on the Patriot High School model, was designed to be less extravagant and to accommodate 500 additional students at a better cost than other alternatives. In their letter, the school board members allege that the grant arrangement may be in violation of the Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974, which prohibits discrimination of students and staff based on factors such as race, bans racial segregation, and says districts should take action to overcome barriers to students equal participation. The letter states that$10.6 would pay for “a more expensive and opulent design… to be built in a predominantly white western portion of the County," which may constitute a violation of the EEO act. Although both sides of the county received equal funding, the letter argues the purpose primarily was to convince the school board to adopt the luxurious design for the new high school. “Potential funding for predominately minority schools was made contingent upon the approval of a more extravagant model for the new high school in a predominately white portion of the county.” The letter also argues that funds would go further to support a population at one high school than to all elementary students residing on the eastern end of the county. “In other words, a capital improvement of $10.5 million for a single, primarily white high school in the west, along with $10.5 million to be used at dozens of predominantly black/Hispanic elementary schools in the east.” Sawyers and company, in their letter, cited news articles that highlight inequity in Northern Virginia and Prince William County schools based upon race and income level. Additionally, the board members allege that the cooperation between the two boards is a “quid pro quo” that could lead to other similar political maneuvers in the future. The three school board members began the letter by reminding the DoJ of other investigations into Prince William County School and its school board. “The DoJ is familiar with the PWCSB as it has recently intervened on numerous occasions with respect to racially unfair proposed school boundaries, non-English language learns and diabetic children.” They end the letter requesting the Civil Right Division take "immediate steps" to address the "racially-unfair policies," saying time is of the essence. Willie Deutsch, the school board member from the Coles District, responded to the letter on Facebook with a post.

Chairman Sawyers, Lillie Jessie, and Loree Williams have responded to the vote last week by asking the Department of Justice to to investigate our school division. Instead of bringing forward measures to address the inequalities, they are going to force staff to spend extensive time complying with the investigation, and if the DOJ agrees with them, it will result in more paperwork on teachers keeping them from teaching.

Acting Brentsville school board member Shawn Brann also stated a reply on his Facebook page. The 13^th high school design was passed in a contentious special meeting that Chairman Sawyers said would not take place. Sawyers questioned the legitimacy of two school board members calling the meeting without approval from the chair and vice chair.