ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Albemarle County Public Schools responded Friday to Charlottesville City Schools' announcement it would be buying out the county's share of the Charlottesville Albemarle Technical Education Center, or CATEC.

ACPS spokesperson Phil Giaramita says Albemarle was blindsided by the news from the Charlottesville School Board meeting Thursday night.

"They could change the schedule and leave out some opportunity for our kids as well," said Charlottesville City School board Vice-Chair Dom Morse at the Thursday meeting.

Morse spoke on behalf of the board, expressing a major reason why the board decided to take sole ownership of CATEC. School board members say selling to ACPS would “jeopardize Charlottesville students' ability to continue learning at it.”

"It’s absolutely false," responded Giaramita.

He says if ACPS did take over, there would be no restrictions on CCS students.

"It was a priority for us in making the offer and it is also consistent with our motivation here," said Giaramita.

What it comes down to is expanding opportunities for all students.

"Whether they were city or county, they serve the same area, the same region, the same communities," Giaramita said.

The county says this was made clear in a letter of intent the county sent to the city late last year. However, Charlottesville School Board member Lisa Larson-Torres says that wasn't in the county's final offer.

"They sent something after that. So that is not the actual letter of intent following the original contract, so that is not what we are working off right now," she said.

According to the original letter of intent, the offer does not follow part of the agreement made between the two divisions in 1969. Instead, it is intended to “provide an alternative process for inclusion of additional terms for continued attendance of city students at CATEC.”

"That is the key piece, is that, you're looking at an old offer an old letter," said Larson-Torres.

The purchase price is $5.3 million.  If it all goes through, this would happen July 1, 2024.