CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — Albemarle County School Board Chair Rebecca Berlin and Vice Chair Allison Spillman presented the board’s quarterly report to the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors during the latter board’s meeting on Wednesday, highlighting the upcoming openings of Mountain View Upper Elementary and Ace Academy Lambs Lane.

Both schools will have ribbon-cutting ceremonies in July.

“These new spaces will be inspirational, because they both allow really beautiful views of our county,” Spillman told the supervisors.

Mountain View Upper Elementary will have its ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 24 at 10 a.m. The school will be smaller than a comprehensive elementary school, serving grades 3-5, but will help address the capacity issues faced by the current Mountain View Elementary. That school will transition to Mountain View Primary, which will serve kindergarten through second grade as well as pre-K.

Ace Academy Lambs Lane, located adjacent to Albemarle High School and formerly known as Center Two, will have its ribbon-cutting on July 31, at a time that has yet to be determined. The school will serve as a separate operation to AHS, hosting students enrolled in the Scholar Studios, the county’s program designed to prepare students for the workforce.

“Our Scholar Studios are specialized learning environments,” Spillman said. “Intentionally designed around learning fields and the durable skills employers consistently identify as the most important to them within that field.”

There are 12 studios in total, with eight set to move into the Ace Academy Lambs Lane.

One studio, named Link which is focused on information and communications technologies, will remain at Ace Academy Seminole Place, formerly Center One. Terra, the environmental studies studio, will remain at Western Albemarle High School, and Vivid and Encore, the performing and visual arts academies respectively, will be offered at all three high schools.

Students enrolled in the studios at Lambs Lane will be transported there every other day while still attending their base high schools and be transported back at the end of the school day.

Spillman said the enrollment for the new Ace Academy has “far exceeded expectations,” with 546 students enrolled, including 297 freshmen, far more than the 200 anticipated.

70% of the enrolled students are from AHS, with 24% from Monticello High School and just 6% from WAHS.

“It’s important to acknowledge that distance from a student’s home school continues to be a deciding factor in joining a studio,” Spillman said. “It’s a challenge that we’re continuing to work through in our recruitment process.”

Spillman also mentioned the new facility’s new principal, Stephanie Carter. She is one of nine new leadership changes, eight principals and the Chief Technology Officers, who have been appointed for the upcoming school year, with ACPS current interviewing for three more vacancies — Stony Point Elementary, Stone-Robinson Elementary and Baker-Butler Elementary.

Berlin told the board while the number of vacancies were higher this year, they were driven by “positive transitions, including retirements, promotions and two new school hires,” and that ACPS had zero system resignations.

Berlin also acknowledged concerns the Board of Supervisors had previously shared over the school system’s budgeting process.

“I have to say, I was surprised by some of the Board of Supervisors’ comments that questioned if our budgeting process was as comprehensive and thorough as the Board of Supervisors was,” she said. “Moving forward, I want to figure out how to help you see the comprehensive nature of our process and answer any questions that you have.”

She later presented a number of potential changes to the School Board’s budgeting process next year, including a retreat between the two boards to build relationships, more public discussions and making the process more collaborative overall.

After the presentation, the Supervisors were brief but positive in their remarks, with many even making a point to acknowledge many of the steps forward the school board took with its budgeting process this year.

Supervisor Mike Pruitt said while much of the conversation centered around what the Supervisors were frustrated with, it was still “the best budget process we’ve had with schools since I paid attention to politics.”

Board of Supervisors Chair Ned Gallaway also took time to encourage Berlin and Spillman to ask any questions they have for the Supervisors, echoing how the two had hoped the report met the needs of the Supervisors.

“I think that ‘meet your needs’ piece is a two-way street,” he told the School Board members.