Chesapeake School Board OKs $801M budget proposal, raises

The Chesapeake School Board on Monday approved an $801 million budget request for the 2024-25 year. The spending plan, which includes the operating budget as well as the budget for categorical and special funds, is about a 2.4% increase over the current year’s appropriation.

The budget includes a minimum 3% raise for division employees, including teachers and support and administrative staff. Chesapeake’s starting teacher pay would rise to $55,185. Through its shift to a new pay scale for administrative and support staff, the division is also bringing up the minimum hourly rate for all employees to $15.

The budget also factors in an additional $5.7 million for a projected increase in health care costs, a portion of which was taken out of reserve funds.

The budget also includes funding for 50 new full-time equivalent positions, including 18 teachers.

About 113 positions that were funded by pandemic relief funds, including 32 school security officers and 78 teacher assistants, were absorbed into the operating budget at a cost of about $4.7 million.

Division officials said a decline in the employer contribution rate to the Virginia Retirement System allowed for the absorption of these positions into the operating budget.

The division will see about $34 million less in federal grants this year compared to last year, largely due to pandemic relief funds ending in September.

In addition to the budget, the board also approved a request for $21.2 million in one-time funds. The money will go toward a variety of projects, including athletics, high school field access improvements, security vestibules and other safety enhancements.

The proposal now heads to the City Council for approval, before returning to the School Board for final adoption in May.