School board gives budget projections, endorses bill to increase state aid
The Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors and School Board held a joint session Tuesday evening to discuss potential budget recommendations as the county prepares to cra a budget for the upcoming scal year.
Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley shared a list of budget issues the county should consider when allocating funds:
► Possible cost cuts or increases to public school funding from Virginia’s General Assembly and new state mandates
► RCPS declining enrollment
► Maintaining the integrity of current programs
► Capital improvements and infrastructure needs
Grimsley said based on current projects of the state budget, RCPS could see an increase in revenue of more than $325,000, which includes unspent school construction funds.
Last year, the school board voted unanimously to send to the Board of Supervisors its proposed $15.4 million budget, nearly $2 million more than what was proposed the year prior. That increase was primarily due to an expected larger infusion of cash from both the state and federal governments relative to the year prior. The public schools are the county’s largest expenditure.
As a part of a community survey among students, teachers, sta and parents, they ranked their planning priorities ahead of scal year 2024. The number one priority, according to the survey, are teacher and sta salaries, followed by teacher bene ts, career and technical education, small class sizes and curriculum enrichment.
School safety was ranked number six out of a list of ten, jumping from ninth place last year in the aftermath of several high-pro le school shootings.
SCHOOLS LOBBY FOR BILL TO REMOVE CAPS ON STATE FUNDS
Public school representatives have been lobbying for the approval of House Bill 1433, which would remove a cap on certain funding the school receives from the state. The School Board on Tuesday unanimously endorsed the legislation.
The supplemental aid the schools would receive if the cap was lifted could be used to provide for the cost of general instruction, support services, transportation and facilities. Because of complications in state law, Rappahannock County is one of the only localities in Virginia to have a cap on this type of state aid.
TASK FORCE IDENTIFIES FINANCIAL BURDENS FACING SCHOOLS
The School Innovative Finance Taskforce (SIFT) was founded by County Administrator Garrey Curry and Grimsley to focus on understanding current nancial difficulties facing the public schools and the county. The group delivered its rst report to the school board on Tuesday.
The report highlighted the fact that Rappahannock County is currently required to cover 80% of its schools’ budget, with the other 20% coming from the state budget, putting Rappahannock County at the top of the index for how much money a locality must contribute.
According to research from the taskforce, this is because of two main factors:
► The True Value of Property values property in land use at its theoretical full market value.
► The Adjusted Gross Income Factor is calculated in terms of mean income rather than by median income, meaning a few wealthy neighbors can tip the scales, and the county has no ability to tax income.
Last year the School Board and Supervisors in a meeting jointly declared that the formula the state used to fund schools disproportionately affects small schools like Rappahannock rich with high value properties.
The report said that there is no expectation for the formula determining locality’s contributions to change, and signi cant changes to the county’s land use vision is not anticipated. Enrollment is also declining, and the number of home-schooled and private-school students is increasing.
The taskforce recommended that the school board explore alternatives for supplemental state aid and to nd a way to increase the headcount of students enrolled in Rappahannock County to account for homeschooled and private school children who could be included in public school as partial credit.
The taskforce also suggested creating a new 501(c)3 private charitable endowment fund, but agreed this route was unlikely to provide immediate support.