r/Tidewater

NORFOLK — The School Board voted Wednesday night to approve a modifications to the budget for next year, but nobody was very happy about it.

Members on both sides of a 4-3 vote said they believed that City Council, which provides most of the funding for the school system, had effectively directed the school system to prioritize facilities over student outcomes.

Generally, the final budget vote is not a controversial one. But on Wednesday night, even some of the four members who voted to approve the budget said they were doing so reluctantly.

In its budget deliberations, the City Council required the school system to use about $8 million in funds left over from last year for capital improvement projects. School Board members had hoped to use it for other things, such as funding for tutors or filling vacant positions.

Additionally, board members lamented that a sum of $3 million city leaders previously set aside for capital improvement projects was taken away. Capital improvement would instead be funded by the aforementioned reversion funds — the money that was left over.

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NORFOLK — Executive leadership and officers of the city’s largest public school employees’ union have been dismissed after an internal investigation.

It concluded that the former president of the Norfolk Federation of Teachers, Laquetta Mackey, used over $100,000 marked for the organization toward personal purposes, according to officials with the union’s parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers. Until new elections are held, AFT Vice President Karla Hernández-Mats will administer the city’s chapter, AFT Local 4261, which represents approximately 1,300 members.

Mackey has not responded to repeated requests for comment. The internal investigation by the national union noted that the former leadership maintained that their actions had been appropriate.

A 15-page decision and order signed by Hernández-Mats and two other AFT vice presidents, dated April 28, found that Mackey in a two-year span increased her salary as president from $98,000 to $172,000 while tripling her retirement benefits. The salary and benefit increases were not communicated to members and had not been authorized by its executive board.

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“One of the bullets, I can feel it hitting my vehicle. You can see right here where the bullet went in.”

A group of older HS friends, roughly 12-15 guys and various wives and such. Friends for 50-60 years. Looking for a spot for a long weekend. Considering Va Beach but freshwater might be nice. Maybe Northern Neck or somewhere inland with decent amenitites. Urbanna? Deltaville? Other options? Appreciate the help, Tidewater experts.

I've lived all over the world for a long time, and now that I've been back it's Hampton Roads this and Hampton Roads that. What happened to Tidewater?