JOINT RESOLUTION: SCHOOL FUNDING INEQUITABLE

► Supervisors, School Board estimate county loses more than $500K in state aid annually because of policy that disadvantages areas with land use taxation

The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors and School Board on Tuesday jointly approved a resolution at a special meeting declaring the formula Virginia uses to fund schools to be inequitable to small rural areas like Rappahannock that receive little state funding because of high property values connected to land use designations that help maintain the county’s treasured viewsheds.

SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT DR. SHANNON GRIMSLEY

“ ere’s just so many elements of this formula that are very inequitable to small rural counties that have this particular situation.”

The bodies in the resolution, which will be sent to state legislators who represent the county and the chairs of the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate Finance Committees, asked that state officials adopt a budget that takes into consideration the funding inequities officials say Rappahannock County Public Schools experiences as a result of more than 25% of the county’s land being valuated for the purpose of land use, which dramatically increases the real value.

The schools estimate that they miss out on about $550,000 each year in state funding because of the method through which schools receive financial support from Richmond.

“Incorporation of the true value of property into the formula doesn't well represent our ability to pay because we don't tax on the true property in our community,” County Administrator Garry Curry said. “Because Licensed we & Insured want to preserve our open land, we provide the opportunity for our citizens to place their property Flooring into Specialists land use taxation.”

It also Licensed demanded & Insured that Virginia officials consider providing an alternative option to offset the penalty incurred by districts like Rappahannock and consider adjusting the funding formula to use more accurate indicators of a locality’s ability to pay for schools, such as including land use valuation in the calculation.

The resolution was approved unanimously by both bodies, with the exception of Jackson District Supervisor Ron Frazier, who was absent from the meeting and did not vote.

School funding allocation by the state is guided by the Local Composite Index (LCI), a formula that primarily takes into account local real property values, as well as, local taxable retail sales and local adjusted gross income to lesser degrees. The Income Specialists tax component, and More which accounts for the second most influential within the LCI calculation, can fluctuate greatly based on the large incomes Your Hometown of just a few Store residents So Much since the county’s population is so small.

Rappahannock County Public Schools’ LCI is maxxed out primarily because of high property values in Rappahannock County related to land use, meaning the schools — a small rural system Store attended primarily working class families, many of whom live below the poverty AVAI 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. “There are relatively very few rural localities that are similarly positioned with Rappahannock County who have a very low student and citizen population with a very high LCI due in large part to the inequities introduced,” the resolution said.

The schools continue to face challenges with declining enrollment that potentially threaten its ability to compete in the market for qualified teachers and staff, which many agree is key to maintaining quality education for students. Lack of funding also could constrain further development of programs and activities that distinguish the school system, according to an infographic provided by the schools. Additional funding is essential if the schools are to remain an effective institution in rural Virginia in the long run, the schools said.

“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 last week in an interview.

To help address the issue, the schools deployed several research teams, comprised of community members, School Board members and other current and former county officials, that sought information on Virginia’s LCI policy and explored potential funding solutions to fill the gaps left by Rappahannock’s high score.

One of the groups determined that, since the formula has remained in effect for more than 40 years and has withstood numerous attempts to dismantle it, the LCI won’t be eliminated by the legislature anytime soon, Curry said. They also decided that county officials should instead work to make inroads with legislators in an effort to amend the state budget to include language surrounding the LCI that includes valuation of property values that take into account land use designations.

Another option a group, led by Headwaters Foundation Chair Gary Aichele, explored was to seek private funding to help supplement teacher salaries in a bid to continue attracting talent in an increasingly competitive job market among neighboring school systems.