Albemarle County Public Schools reacts to Charlottesville CATEC purchase

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - In response to Albemarle County Public Schools wanting to buy out CATEC, Charlottesville announced that it is taking full ownership of the technical academy Thursday evening at the CCS School Board meeting.

CCS says it feared its students losing access to CATEC. A spokesperson for ACPS says it wanted to buy CATEC to modernize its facilities to help the entire region. ACPS also believed it could be a solution to overcrowding in its schools. The goal was to make the center more appealing so more students would attend it for classes.

Phil Giaramita with ACPS says the intention was never to kick city students out of the school. In the letter of intent from ACPS sent to CCS in the fall, it outlines CCS students could attend CATEC in the first 3 years of the purchases, without paying tuition. In following years, CCS students would have to pay tuition if ACPS bought ownership.

A majority of the students at CATEC are from ACPS.

“The potential for a facility like that is much greater than what we’re doing right now, and so that was really the number one motivation we have in our capital program-- planning a second student center,” ACPS spokesperson Phil Giaramita said.

Charlottesville will take sole ownership of CATEC in July of 2024. Giaramita says he has not heard if ACPS students will have to pay tuition or not yet, though CCS says ACPS students will be able to use the center.

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