For the second time in nearly as many months, the Henry County School system requested a change to how it receives local funding, but the motion failed to gain support at the Tuesday, Sept. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting.
County Administrator Dale Wagoner presented the request, which sought to change the allocation of public education funds from categorical to lump sum funding. Currently, the board of supervisors must approve transfers between budget categories. Under the proposed change, the school board would have more flexibility to move funds between categories without requiring board approval.
“This would allow the school system to shift funds between categories as needed, while still providing the board oversight through access to the Munis accounting system,” Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Blake-Lewis said.
She explained that the current system requires every transfer to go before the board, which can slow down the process. She emphasized that even with lump sum funding, the board would still be able to monitor transactions through Munis, the county’s accounting system.
Garrett Dillard, who represents the Iriswood District and also works as the school division’s Director of Community Learning, asked for clarification on the pros and cons of the change.
Blake-Lewis pointed to increased efficiency as the primary advantage, noting that the board of supervisors has never denied a request for a budget transfer in her tenure.
“In terms of a negative, I guess it would just be if the supervisors – forgive me for being blunt – simply wanted to keep tabs on us and see” proposed transfers beforehand, Blake-Lewis said.
Dillard then asked Wagoner for input.
Wagoner added that the decision is largely a policy matter for the board, explaining that the current process provides more oversight while lump sum funding would make administration easier. However, he also noted that approving the request could lead other departments, like the sheriff’s office, to request the same.
He added that the school system gets all of its funding “from someone else” and doesn’t “generate any revenue of their own, so it’s up to” the board of supervisors “to decide how much funds you give them and how they use them. It’s really dependent on if this board sees the need for that extra step to provide more transparency or if you’re willing to entrust them with that responsibility of policy decisions.”
In administrative terms, Wagoner said “it would be easier to administer on the county’s side but it’s not a difficult process now to facilitate the transfers.”
However, “the converse of that is, I wouldn’t want the sheriff to come in next and ask for lump sum funding.” If the county allows lump sum funding for the school system, “without any jurisdictional oversight” would it require “the sheriff to come to you to ask to move money, just from patrol to corrections or vice versa,” Wagoner asked.
He also noted that he does not have the authority to move funds between cost centers “without coming to you. It’s really a public policy. Your preference. I don’t have a strong opinion either way.”
Dillard questioned whether Wagoner’s comparison between the school system and the sheriff’s office was fair, since the sheriff’s office does not have an overseeing board. Wagoner acknowledged the distinction, but noted that the sheriff is an elected official.
To Dillard, Blake-Lewis said, “I appreciate you drawing that comparison because my board would still have to approve any movement of funding that we would want to make, which is in my opinion comparable to the decision of this board in terms of having that final say. My board is elected just as you all are elected. It’s a very comparable situation,” she added.
Pam Cobler, who represents the Reed Creek District, said she had considered the matter carefully, consulting with her constituents at large and those in focus groups, as well as the sheriff. She found little public support for lump sum funding, noting that residents prefer the current process.
“I only found one person that was supportive of lump sum funding for any department. … I strongly feel that publicly, it’s not a positive thing for the board of supervisors or the school division” to change to lump sum funding.
Cobler has a Doctorate in Education Administration. She has previously served as an Early Childhood Education teacher, as the Director of the Piedmont Tech Prep Consortium at Patrick & Henry Community College, as the CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center Foundation, and as the Director of the AmeriCorps Program.
“We do approve everything for which you ask, and gladly do that,” Cobler said, again noting that the board is a strong proponent of public education, as well as Blake-Lewis, the division and the school board.
However, “I asked the community. I did not find a lot of support for that,” Cobler said. “They like the process that we have now.”
Dillard made a motion to switch from categorical to lump sum funding “just to officially go on record,” he said.
The motion died for lack of a second.
Also on Tuesday, the board heard an update on broadband installation efforts.
Rob Taylor, director of governmental affairs for RiverStreet Networks, outlined the company’s $34 million plan to provide fiber-to-the-home internet services to 3,461 locations in the county. The project is being funded through a combination of $4.4 million from RiverStreet, $12.8 million from Appalachian Power (AEP) in construction and matching funds, $4 million from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, and $13 million from the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI).
The broadband build is currently underway in the Fieldale-Spencer area, where AEP has completed 18,000 feet of aerial fiber and obtained a railroad crossing agreement. Taylor said RiverStreet is working with AEP on splicing designs and preparing for additional construction in the Axton and Leatherwood areas.
RiverStreet expects to begin connecting customers in the Fieldale-Spencer area by the second quarter of 2025, once AEP’s Point of Presence (POP) is brought online, Taylor said. The company is also collaborating with county staff to identify potential remote building sites for future broadband expansion.
Taylor requested the board’s support in the Broadband Equity Access and Development (BEAD) program, clarifying that the request does not involve any matching funds. The board’s support would enable RiverStreet to provide broadband services in any areas that receive BEAD funding.
As the project advances, Taylor said RiverStreet plans to participate in local festivals and advertise through various media outlets, including newspapers and radio stations. The company will also send direct mail to potential customers.
Amanda Cox, AEP’s external affairs manager, described the company’s role as the “middle-mile” partner, building fiber from pole to pole in challenging terrain with sparse populations. AEP’s investment in the project is now expected to total $18.3 million in Henry County, Cox said.
The project’s timeline was extended by six months due to the need for approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission. AEP is responsible for the infrastructure that connects RiverStreet to customers, and Cox said the company has completed five miles of fiber installation in Fieldale-Spencer.
Cox also provided updates on other areas of the county: construction in the Axton-Ridgeway area is expected to begin in October, Leatherwood in December, and Figsboro in March 2025. The Soapstone and Bassett segments are slated to start in April 2025.
As construction progresses, residents will be able to connect to broadband services as segments are completed, Cox said.
In other business, the board:
*Approved the consent agenda items.
* Heard a report on delinquent tax collection from Treasurer Scott Grindstaff.
*Approved a resolution establishing Kiwi Emergency Medical Services as an EMS agency in the county, contingent on meeting zoning and licensing requirements.
*Awarded the Community Connected Citizen Award to Heads of State Entertainment.
*Heard an update on highway matters from Virginia Department of Transportation Resident Engineer Lisa Price-Hughes.
*Approved $226,005 in state aid for the Collinsville Volunteer Fire Department to purchase a fire truck.
*Approved $32,500 for real estate assessment services and delayed the reassessment effective date to Jan. 1, 2026.
*Allocated $244,350 to the Henry County Public Schools Nutrition budget for a fresh fruit and vegetable program.
*Reappointed Brenda Metz to the Southern Area Agency on Aging Board for a term expiring Nov. 1, 2027.
*Accepted a deed for five acres of land on Coffman Drive from Henry County Public Schools.
