Supervisors, School Board talk money

The Rappahannock County School Board and Board of Supervisors will meet next week (Feb. 8) for a joint meeting where both bodies discuss the schools’ budget as it relates to state funding through Virginia’s Local Composite Index (LCI) and how both bodies can work to support one another.

The schools’ LCI is rated quite high primarily because of high property values in Rappahannock County, meaning RCPS — a small rural school attended primarily working class families, many of whom live below the poverty line — is expected by the state to cover 80% of funding to meet the state’s threshold for a quality education, according to data from the schools. Other factors that influence LCI are local taxable retail sales and local adjusted gross income.

“There’s just so many elements of this formula that are very inequitable to small rural counties that have this particular situation,” Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley said in an interview.

But because Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s budget for schools isn’t finalized, it’s too early to tell how Rappahannock’s funding from the state may fare in the long term. In the short term, finances should remain stable because of additional stimulus money that’s yet to be injected into its coffers, Grimsely said. She noted the budget process is expected to take several months.

Still, the school faces challenges with declining enrollment that potentially threaten its ability to compete in the market for qualified teachers and staff, as well as constraining further development of programs and activities that distinguish the school system, according to an infographic provided by Grimsley. Additional funding is essential if the schools are to remain an effective institution in rural Virginia, the schools said.