By Taylor Boyd
The Henry County School Board heard an update on the potential fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget at its February 12 meeting.
Because the General Assembly is still in session, Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Administrative Services Dr. Benjamin Boone said no updated numbers have been given to the school division.
“Hopefully, we’ll find out something prior to the joint board meeting” on Tuesday, February 24. “We’re kind of waiting on the Virginia Department of Education. They may have those numbers by that time, but if not, we’ll have those at the March board meeting,” he said.
For FY26, Boone said the state revenue was $83,460,628. For the upcoming fiscal year, $81,490,161 is expected.
“So, a reduction of about $2 million from the state. However, our local share is increasing because our local composite index is going up, meaning the local government’s effort to fund education is going up,” he said.
FY26’s local share was approximately $20.8 million. Boone said FY27’s local share is projected to be $21.9 million.
“Overall, if this were the budget being put in place, we would be expecting close to a $1 million deficit with the budget,” Boone said, and noted the local composite index is increasing from .2247 per dollar in FY26 to .2388 per dollar for FY27.
“Or in other words, one-and-a-half pennies difference per dollar. This is all based on 2023 tax property and tax information,” he said.
Boone believes this is a positive for the county. With the local composite index going up, the state government is saying the local economy is able to fund the school system more, he said.
Boone noted the state revenue is going down because the average daily membership has declined over the past few years.
“Our average daily membership counts the enrollment of kindergarten through 12th-grade students. It does not count our preschool students. We do, however, have 281 preschool students that are enrolled,” he said.
FY26’s average daily membership was 6,499, with the current average being 6,342. It’s projected to decrease to 6,236 for FY27.
“We’re hoping that we hold onto the enrollment that we have, the 6,342, because that would make the revenue that we receive from the state increase,” he said.
Boone said the division receives state funds of nearly $13,000 per student and $3,600 from the local government. “About an average of $16,500 per pupil,” he said.
Boone said the local contribution for FY26 was $23,398,000, with $2,496,000 required for existing loans for previous construction projects.
“We cannot count the debt services towards our local share. When you reduce the debt service from the total amount, you end up with $20,902,000. The total share for this year that we’re in right now was $20,798,000, so we were funded about $100,000 over the local share for this school year,” he said.
Instructional and operational needs for FY27 include elementary behavioral support positions, funding for essential instructional programs, and Special Education positions to meet student needs.
“We are absorbing after-school tutoring and summer school program costs again. This was previously funded by the All-In Initiative. We’re looking at additional elementary school teachers to help reduce class size, additional itinerant teachers to provide equitable fine arts instruction at Stanleytown and Sanville Elementary Schools,” Boone said.
Boone said possible additional middle school teachers are needed at each school for scheduling purposes, security upgrades, and an additional assistant principal at Meadow View Elementary School.
“I want to point out that Meadow View Elementary School has about 650 students, and right now, they have one assistant principal. The majority of our elementary schools are anywhere between 275 students to around 425, so if you do the student-teacher ratio with that, we’re looking at putting another assistant principal at that school because of the number of students,” he said.
Boone said the division also wants to dedicate more funding to its facilities outside of the 1 percent sales tax.
In other matters, the board:
*Heard a draft update to the division’s memorial policy. Human Resources Director Dawn McCray said the policy is intended to bring together cross-reference and align existing division practices and policies concerning remembrance and memorials into a single framework.
“It does not create new practices, but rather clarifies expectations, ensures consistency, and promotes equitable and developmentally appropriate responses across schools,” she said.
The draft policy will be presented for approval at the March 5 meeting.
*Approved school board governance norms and protocols.
*Adopted grades 6-12 English textbooks.
*Heard a presentation from Career Academy Coordinator Dr. Brittany Brummitt about what the Academy is, its six offered pathway opportunities, and the application process.
*Heard the superintendent’s reports.
*Heard committee reports.
*Approved the consent agenda.
*Recognized division principals for principal appreciation.
*Recognized February as Black History Month.
*Recognized February as school board appreciation month.
*Recognized school board clerk appreciation week.
*Approved the personnel report and addendum as presented.
*Approved the religious exemption as presented.
