Waynesboro Virginia Organizing

03/31/2026

We're still at it! Building people power to make real change in Waynesboro.

Here are some highlights from this March:

We organized a Community Listening Session with guest speakers Kathryn Brown, President of the Waynesboro Education Association, Pamela Wagner Executive Director of Staunton's Arcadia Project, and House Delegate McLaughlin current House representative of Waynesboro to highlight the impact federal funding cuts have on our representative's state budget proposals.

We organized a press conference to highlight Waynesboro City Council's proposal to cap the funding they provide to local schools.

We came out to speak at public comment, gathered petition signatures and met with decision makers for our Anti-Bias campaign and canvassed.

If you want to get involved in local grassroots organizing, email our chapter organizer at [email protected]

03/13/2026

Waynesboro Virginia Organizing and Waynesboro Education Association held a press conference March 9, 2026 in front of Waynesboro City Council chambers to respond to Waynesboro's city councils proposal to change their funding agreement that has been in place for 20 years.

Throughout the press conference, parents, educators, and concerned citizens warned that changes to the funding formula would drastically reduce resources for programs and specialized positions that support struggling students.

You can read more about the proposal and city council's response here.

https://www.wmra.org/2026-03-12/proposal-to-change-how-waynesboro-funds-public-schools-draws-opposition

https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2026/03/12/teachers-parents-urge-waynesboro-to-keep-school-funding-formula/89099532007/?utm_source=the-news-leader-at-staunton-daily-briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailybriefing&utm_term=hero&utm_content=psta-e-nletter65

If you would like to find out how you can get involved, please contact Nora at [email protected].

03/05/2026

Thank you for the coverage Augusta Free Press LLC!

Join us this Saturday March 7, 2026 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Waynesboro public library to come together and address the issues that affect the quality of our everyday lives.

Virginia Organizing is hosting a town hall-like event with 36th District Del. Ellen McLaughlin at the Waynesboro Public Library.

03/05/2026

02/25/2026

Interested in understanding Virginia's state budget?

Hear from the Commonwealth institute. Analysts will share key differences between the budgets proposed by the governor, House, and Senate in education, health care, and more. They'll also discuss next steps for getting priorities across the finish line.
Spanish interpretation available

Hear from our analysts on key differences between the budgets proposed by the governor, House, and Senate in education, health care, and more. Plus, we’ll discuss next steps for getting priorities across the finish line. Spanish interpretation available.

02/25/2026

"This is not about politics. It is not even about a movement. What we are doing today is about history being made and a future being built,", Tyran Green of the Virginia Organizing State Governing Board.

02/15/2026

The chapter had it's monthly meeting this week. The room was packed with people ready to get organized!

We shared highlights from our Lobby Day visit and began preparing for an upcoming community listening session in March.

The next monthly chapter meeting will be next month on Thursday March 12, 2026 at 6 p.m. This meeting will be our annual meeting where we reaffirm our commitments as a chapter, review our statement of beliefs, and determine what statewide and local issues we want to focus on this year! If we have time, we’ll debrief the community listening session and talk about next steps.

If you would like to get involved, please contact the chapter’s organizer, Nora Scott by email or over phone. Contact information can be found in the link in our bio.

02/15/2026

This week, chapter members pushed state representatives Delegate McLaughlin and Senator Head to vote yes and support

💵 Taxing the wealthy their fair share by creating a new tax bracket to tax millionaires in Virginia
🎓 Update mental health training for public school teachers so they can better support unhoused and LGBTQIA+ students
📚 Established education standards for private schools using public funds for school tuition
🏚 More enforcement power to local governments by allowing them to sue neglectful landlords in their locality

The General Assembly is still in session and so are many of the bills our chapter is supporting this year. Let’s keep to doing all we can to keep our elected officials accountable!

02/06/2026

This is a HUGE win! 🎉✊👏

Virginia Organizing has been working on Restoration of Rights since 2002, so we are very excited to celebrate this!

Today, the Governor signed the Constitutional Amendment bill for Restoration of Rights into law. This means it will be on the ballot in November! We've been working on Restoration since 2002, so we are very excited to celebrate this win! 🎉✊👏

01/13/2026

Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in West Virginia v. B.P.J and Little v. Hecox, two cases brought by transgender students challenging state laws that ban trans girls and women from playing on school sports teams that align with their gender identity. The Court will decide whether bans on trans women and girls participating in women and girls’ school sports violate the rights of student athletes under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Young trans people play sports for the same reasons as everyone else: to find community, build confidence, and learn teamwork and discipline. All youth -- including trans youth - deserve safety, belonging, and equal opportunities to participate.

This isn’t just about sports. We must protect trans youth.

REMINDER: both Friendly City Safe Space and the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center will be open today for our community. Please use our space to feel connected and get support. In Staunton, a community member will be teaching a DIY sticker workshop, and we'll have some pizza for folks joining.

01/13/2026

Joint Budget Meeting tonight at 7 PM

The city council and the school board will be meeting tonight to discuss the level of city council funding provided to support Waynesboro Public Schools.

Although there will be no public comment during this meeting, your presence matters. Attending helps show support for our schools and ensures you are informed ahead of future meetings where public comment will be allowed.

Meeting Details
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Location: Charles T. Yancey Municipal Building, 503 West Main Street, Waynesboro

The School Board and City Council need to see that you want them to continue supporting and investing in Waynesboro Public Schools. Please come out if you can!

Please contact Nora at 434-226-0426 for details and/or accommodations.

12/19/2025

Last Thursday our chapter held our Annual Holiday Potluck! We hold these every year in December to recharge, reflect, and start planting seeds for our vision and strategy for the upcoming year. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out. We couldn't do what we do without you!

Last week might have been our last monthly meeting of the year but there are still ways for you to get involved. Donate, connect with us over email or sign up for our newsletter. If we want to build a community where all of us are free, it's going to take all of us.

Get involved! Links to donate, connect, and sign up can all be found in the link in our bio. 💛