Stafford Schools outlines $490M budget with $14.2M funding gap to meet needs

The Stafford School Board convened on January 28, 2025, to discuss the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, focusing on critical funding needs and strategic improvements for the school division. The meeting highlighted the challenges of balancing a budget that exceeds $490 million while addressing the rising costs of health insurance and employee compensation.

The discussion began with an overview of Phase 4 of the school funding plan, which has a total cost of over $16 million. Due to fiscal constraints, the proposal only addresses one of the five targeted steps, achieving 20% of the necessary progress. The board acknowledged the need for adjustments to the service scale and emphasized the importance of investing in staff to maintain a motivated workforce.

A significant point of discussion was the proposed increase in health insurance premiums. Employees will see a slight rise, with the employee-only plan increasing by $4.26 per month and family plans by up to $24.80. Despite these increases, the premiums remain lower than those of neighboring school divisions, which was noted as a positive aspect.

The budget proposal includes a request for $4 million to bolster the health insurance fund and $70,000 for the tuition assistance program, which has seen increased participation. Additionally, an allocation of $11 million is proposed for a 3% average compensation increase to attract and retain quality staff.

The board faced tough decisions in trimming initial budget requests, reducing a total of $23.9 million in requests by over $19 million to finalize the current proposal. The budget includes $19.2 million in non-discretionary expenses and $11 million in discretionary expenses focused on compensation.

Despite these efforts, the proposed budget reveals a significant funding gap of $14.2 million, highlighting the need for advocacy at both state and local levels to secure additional resources. The projected revenue increase of 3.4% falls short of the 6.5% needed to fully fund the proposed initiatives.

The meeting concluded with a call to action for community support to address unmet needs, including teacher compensation, safety enhancements, and essential equipment replacements. The board emphasized that without additional funding, the quality of education in Stafford Schools could decline, underscoring the necessity of continued investment in the school division to meet the needs of its growing student population.