The Henry County School Board heard an update on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 spending plan at its February 1 meeting.
Assistant Superintendent for Operations and Administrative Services Dr. Benjamin Boone said the Virginia General Assembly is currently in session and is reviewing the Governor’s proposed budget.
“It’s projected to end around March 9. We’ll see if they come out of the session with a budget,” he said.
Boone said the governor’s proposed budget introduces a proposed one percent bonus for employees in FY25 and a two percent salary increase in FY26.
“The governor’s proposed bonus introduces an increase in basic aid and Standards of Quality. The governor’s proposed budget introduces reductions in incentive programs, state sales tax revenue, and lottery-funded programs,” he said.
Boone said the state share of that one percent for employees is $408,074. The local share will exceed $118,269.
The allotment for compensation in fiscal ‘24 was $4,542,930 from the state and $1,265,701 for the local share.
“So, you can see … the state is cutting about ten times less than they provided last year for compensation,” Boone said, adding there also are other anticipated costs in different budget categories.
“We have salaries being absorbed from ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, which ends in September), we’re looking at our instructional programs, different positions being needed for special education services, transportation needs such as fuel and new buses, utility costs. Also, we’re always looking at improvements for security,” he said, adding that School Resource Officers (SROs) are paid 100 percent from the school division’s budget.
Boone said state aid in FY23 is more than $70 million, and increased last year for FY24-25, to a little more than $72 million.
“However, that does include the All In funding they budgeted last year, so if you included that amount you would actually be looking at a decrease of the state funding,” he said.
The Total Local Funding for FY23 was around $18.7 million and FY24 was a little more than $19.3 million.
“We do know what that number is at this time,” Boone said.
For FY23, the division received $10.5 million in grants. About $11 million was budgeted for FY24 and for FY25.
“It pays for salaries. Grants are kind of work on like a reimbursement process, so it’s kind of money coming in and money going out for that category,” he said.
For Other Revenue, about $1.7 million is budgeted from things like Medicaid.
“For FY23 we had a little bit over $100 million, $101 million for FY24, and $102 million” for FY25. Again, without knowing what we’re going to be funded locally. You know, I can’t put a number right that as of yet,” he said.
Boone said from FY24 going into FY25, there is an increase from the state of about $2 million, excluding the All In funds, one-time funds, and state grants in the grants category.
The local share in FY23 was $15.7 million with the local government giving the division $18.7 million.
“So, you can say in local leeway what they did above local share was a little above $3 million,” he said.
Boone said for FY24 the local share required by the state government was about $16.3 million, and the local leeway was about $3 million over that for around $19.3 million.
“For FY25, the state government is saying the local share should increase by $2 million, or by about $18.2 million. So, again, we do not know what that local leeway is going to look like just yet, but they are putting more emphasis on local funding for education,” he said.
For FY24 salaries and benefits for teachers, classified staff, bus drivers and aides, administrators, and grants the cost is about $73.2 million.
The current budget is $102,513,053, and Boone said the division is looking at a more than $100 million budget, with about 70 percent earmarked for salaries.
“If you do a five percent increase the total for all of those employees would be close to about $3.5 million. So, as you see if we’re putting together a budget, if the state is only funding $2 million more than the previous fiscal year to do a five percent increase, you’d have to find about $1.5 million to provide a five percent increase,” he said.
In other matters, the board:
*Heard from Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis about the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.
*Heard an update about the ALL In Virginia from Superintendent Dr. Amy Blake-Lewis.
*Recognized Magna Vista High School students participating in volleyball, golf, and football.
*Received certificates as part of February being recognized as School Board Appreciation Month.
*Recognized February as School Board Clerk Appreciation Month.
*Recognized February as Black History Month.
*Recognized February as Career and Technical Education (CTE) month.
*Recognized February 5-9 as School Counseling Week.
*Recognized February 15 as School Resource Officer Appreciation Day.
*Approved the consent agenda.
*Heard the Superintendent’s report.
*Herad committee reports.
