Look for new ways to solve old problems next year

Almost nothing is resolved. The problem persists. Those of us who care must reassess our responses to those issues.

1. Public schools in the region are trying to close the educational gap created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Including a year of distance learning and achieving student grades that would not have had two years of uncertainty will continue to challenge children, parents, administrators, and local and state politicians. My first task in 2023 is to admit my shortcomings and stop blaming others. In 2022, Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin needlessly politicized public education. He made an honest and helpful attempt to identify areas of weakness. He then poisoned that vital effort, pointing to the Democratic Party as the cause of all trouble. If he does it again in 2023, catching up and moving forward with COVID will continue to be a crawl rather than a walk or run. The focus on changing history education standards to downplay the role is a distraction. Adjustments may be required. No need to rewrite. The culture war battle must end. His two good examples of these distractions to education expected to disappear in 2023 are the lawsuit filed by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) against the Albemarle County Board of Education. The complaint accused a testing program designed to increase racial sensitivities in students taught racism against whites. Still, it remains in the Court of Appeals. School systems in other regions have been distracted from the education of their children by the ADF’s attempts to impose Christian religious beliefs as a public policy. The second major distraction involved Youngkin’s attempt to change the treatment of students who identify themselves as transgender. But the governor was a big deal about suppressing their rights.

2. There is an obscene amount of shooting going on in the area. Two people have been killed in the last few days. Even if no one is hit, gunfire is unbearable. The recent acknowledgment of gang problems in Albemarle and Charlottesville should defeat law enforcement defenses as to why the shootings are uncontrolled. We have called on our multi-jurisdictional task force to give this issue a rigorous and honest look. It should come true in 2023. Community members should choose to help law enforcement solve crimes in addition to focusing on the police. Former gang members who worked as violent obstructers should continue their efforts to forestall shootings, but they have become more active in collecting information about those who supply weapons to minors. play a role.

3. Charlottesville and Albemarle need to stop talking about affordable housing and take action. Each municipality has different needs, but both have planning policies that discuss the issue of death The time has passed for leaders to make decisions and face the inevitable frustration of not being able to please everyone, and set something up in 2023.

4. Finally, next year, Confederate sons and daughters bent on preserving the racist symbol of their slave-holding past will have to step down. The public space that supports it. Neither group can carry the day. Unless both sides relent, conflict is expected throughout the region and both sides will continue to live in the past.

Many other issues carry over to 2022-2023. New problems will inevitably arise. As we deal with them all, I hope that we will find common ground to compromise and make this region a place that the majority of us can be proud of.