[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6635574,"mediaKeyId","2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d","parentId",2631808,"title","LCPS officials tell supervisors federal funds are earmarked; board to take school-meal debt to joint committee","audioSeconds",106,"startMs",1114000,"endMs",1220000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d&start=1114&end=1220","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d/thumbnail_1114000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6635574/Virginia/LCPS-officials-tell-supervisors-federal-funds-are-earmarked-board-to-take-school-meal-debt-to-joint-committee","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635574-9e605ca0aff312a4462653262171b656/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151433&Signature=Cx23xnPx1arYmNNuJA0s5EbhMRYas1ZlugsNMJUHA0-AxDnq8MyR7ANZcvaKYWh~NfCVmkJAhdrr8U2UedWSmG4AJhFthvsdcYVs1aKrfJfVnc-FRM~1kPcf46aFHcyWqnz7iaUjDUOsQjdadcPkbZZqpo-LbspVnWt-mIOiz2GyfH9ZCxdwPfH~Ss8IvpbGmeq6jhvZUe1UFTob-iMnbcVuy7fqzsUn4unbHq2DY8bjbYsjeIkMOwriols7YTlGuYGMZWcXW6hwZjbnokYPzt6zXmohATmM0pS3-gPKgELtGDcxINc2UAGGTbXhGAUZ4Qt4r8vrgIJ5~EoU8kUqgg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Loudoun County","date","2025-03-13T00:00:00Z","article","Loudoun County Public Schools superintendent and finance staff met with the Board of Supervisors on March 13 to answer questions about federal funding and school-meal debt. Superintendent Dr. Scott A. Spence and school finance chief Sharon Willoughby told supervisors that the school division's federal dollars generally come with specific purposes and cannot be used interchangeably with local funds without following program rules.

Dr. Spence described how common federal funding streams are allocated: Impact Aid supports military-connected students, Title I money targets schools with higher proportions of low-income students, and child nutrition funds subsidize free and reduced-price meals. When supervisors asked what would happen if federal funds were cut, Dr. Spence said the school division would have to either absorb the loss through additional operating-budget cuts or identify alternative revenue sources.

Supervisors raised school-meal debt and said Loudoun identified about $160,000 of meal debt in 2024, which school staff had managed to clear. Supervisor Phyllis J. Bridal said both county staff and school-board members are concerned that federal changes could cause a renewed rise in meal debt and that the board should discuss options to support families if need resurfaces. Supervisors agreed to bring the school-meal-debt topic to the joint School-Board/Board-of-Supervisors committee for a fuller discussion.

Dr. Spence and Vice Chair Anne Donahue said the school division will continue to coordinate with county staff as federal funding decisions become clearer. School officials also noted the transfer process for local-to-school funds is distinct from federal grants, which typically are earmarked for specific uses.

No formal vote was taken on the discussion; supervisors directed that school-meal debt and contingency plans be discussed further in the joint committee.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Loudoun County - Board of Supervisors FY26 Budget Work Session - Mar 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Loudoun County Public Schools officials told the board on March 13 that most federal dollars are restricted to programmatic uses and that cuts to those funds would require school-budget offsets or alternative revenue.","taxTitle","Loudoun County, Virginia","taxId",5640,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6635579,"Commonwealth's Attorney clarifies diversion, specialty dockets and language limitations during budget session discussion",941,1519000,2460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d&start=1519&end=2460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d/thumbnail_1519000.jpg","/articles/6635579/Virginia/Commonwealths-Attorney-clarifies-diversion-specialty-dockets-and-language-limitations-during-budget-session-discussion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635579-44fb46d3d031006c41f4456b8e52d163/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151433&Signature=IjJzRGAHTqT3IZHk1r1odBe7i54UHWZYzhM~cVENbLobWt-nfZ265OzApV9-FqSt7YJ5VcHYkDkANmAP2pVvI8I0kIVcmXDJBo37i0vXfDdezawfroMxRQrUp-kGSN1q-aIf~xPuwEdRjGqu-bUf0umYLVfgQQ0f313ocfQkETdwg1EPEWfQYihuvIvty5R-4DAICNT~npktzUOx4cpebn-A5x2mpS7clpyhk-GIUKzqS7gj~ipzeADjZi1M1ouQbHpK6VdM7A33LjnrUbA4UQ2d-zw8vNneUf2qbBDy~r~9iTqyv78t7b8LcJip5Ed81ZLy9~i85KaszAknwC7I1A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representatives of the Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney's office returned to the Board of Supervisors on March 13 to clarify the office's use of plea bargains, diversion referrals and specialty dockets. County officials and the Commonwealth's Attorney staff described diversion as a legal term of art, outlined the eligibility parameters for specialty dockets and described barriers that can prevent eligible defendants from entering these programs.

The Commonwealth's Attorney's office said juvenile and adult diversion programs remain a priority but noted funding and statutory changes have altered how some programs operate. A staff speaker cautioned that the term “diversion” describes specific legal programs and that recent state funding cuts have reduced the technical diversion programming previously available; county officials are identifying county service alternatives to refer eligible juveniles away from formal court processing.

Office staff described the local specialty dockets in use and their limits: two specialty dockets operate in general district court (a veterans docket and a behavioral-health docket) and a recovery treatment program sits in circuit court. Each docket has eligibility criteria, and many defendants who commit crimes in Loudoun are not eligible because they are not Loudoun residents. Officials said they are meeting with judges to increase coordinated referrals and community buy-in. The Commonwealth's Attorney's office said it will pitch a behavioral-health docket expansion to the General District Court judges and the chief judge, Pamela Brooks, on April 16; office staff requested the board's support for that effort.

Speakers also addressed statutory and procedural tools. The office cited a newly referenced statute in the discussion (transcribed as \"19 2 2 98 colon 2\") related to deferred findings; staff said deferred findings under that statute are an outcome many first-time offenders choose over voluntary treatment programs offered by specialty dockets. The Commonwealth's Attorney noted that, because many defendants opt for a deferred finding, specialty dockets often serve defendants who have had repeated interactions with the justice system and therefore can function as a treatment-of-last-resort rather than a first-stop away from incarceration.

On court operations and access, staff explained interpreter limitations: Spanish is predominant and the Supreme Court provides on-site Spanish interpreters; other languages are often covered by a national \"Language Line\" phone interpretation service or require court motions to request translation and funding. The office said it is seeking broader community referrals, including from places of worship and nonprofits, to expand the pool of community resources for docket participants.

No formal vote was required on the briefing. Supervisors asked for historical utilization data for the last four years on veterans, behavioral-health, drug court and related specialty dockets; the Commonwealth's Attorney's office agreed to provide statistics for 2022-2025. The office said it is working to identify county-level services to fill program gaps left by state funding reductions and requested the board's support for docket expansion initiatives.","Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney's office briefed supervisors on plea bargaining, diversion programs, specialty dockets (veterans, behavioral health, recovery treatment), eligibility limits and interpreter access; staff said they are coordinating with judges and community partners to increase referrals to specialty dockets.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6635583,"Board adopts FY26 wrap-up: personal property vehicle tax cut to $3.09, final budget adjustments pass",1626,5199000,6825000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d&start=5199&end=6825","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d/thumbnail_5199000.jpg","/articles/6635583/Virginia/Board-adopts-FY26-wrap-up-personal-property-vehicle-tax-cut-to-309-final-budget-adjustments-pass","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635583-0dcb40f0e1963b05e43cdfdf5ef12e56/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151433&Signature=fYjWvwTzC8owWl60UKgcvI1J0cZU9093V9JIMF5Z-0~ymwLz8xfxC10BTd4holEIYolw-umIOpQReToYtqNsU6VUJUFjoOlgTNwnI9a2N9CMGAzjE-mu7Bc7pmOLwMFydB2EvhEnWxwo62LJ6oDH5uKxRe4CkH3dRaVN5PmuiSSbos7lSTGs3Gheh9Qx1KwMdMt-NyCY2HSMJuOi0gkdJw~VYcWZydTqaK4sWYy2w5lLTR40yS1mqdGNcGvXszcesmTPHDeYZbFAmRd5fCQ2b3cNXeABMfLBjSt4HEXjuZa3IqCEsX9UkTORYQh7W3ZbLhCRuF-D4Doj96Oeoj~-1Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors adopted a final wrap-up appropriation at the March 13 budget work session that set tax and spending choices for fiscal year 2026 and confirmed several prior straw votes. The wrap-up motion, introduced near the end of the meeting, set the tax-year 2026 vehicle personal-property tax at $3.09 per $100 of assessed value and finalized the FY26 appropriations as amended through the work sessions. The wrap-up motion passed with an 8-0-1 tally; one supervisor was off the dais.

The wrap-up consolidated multiple competing proposals the board debated during the session. Supervisors discussed at length whether to direct additional state revenues to reduce the general (real‑property) tax rate or to target relief at personal property (vehicle) taxes. Supervisor Paul Kirschner argued for a broader, more immediately felt cut to vehicle taxes; other supervisors proposed alternatives that would partially restore historical general-rate levels while reducing vehicle taxes. After discussion and substitute motions, the final wrap-up reflected the board’s choice to apply identified revenues and adjustments to achieve the $3.09 vehicle rate for tax year 2026.

The meeting also included a separate motion by Chair Phyllis J. Bridal to reduce county funding for the Independence Day event at Hansen Park from $80,000 to $52,300 and to allocate $10,000 to the town of Hillsborough to support its fireworks. That motion was seconded by Supervisor Kirschner but failed on a recorded vote during the session; the board discussed staffing, security and scale considerations before the vote.

Why it matters: The board’s wrap-up establishes the final local rates and appropriation guidance the county administrator will translate into the formal FY26 budget documents. Changes to the vehicle tax will take effect under the personal‑property tax rules and collections schedule that govern tax-year 2026; staff noted those collections are realized through next year’s billing cycle and will not fully change mid‑year.

What supervisors said: Chair Randall praised county staff and described the budget season as intensive work across many departments. Supervisor Kirschner said moving the relief to vehicle taxes produces broader and more immediate savings for many households, particularly those with multiple vehicles; other supervisors warned that some policy choices increase reliance on data‑center revenues and urged caution given economic uncertainty.

Implementation and next steps: County staff confirmed the tote board adjustments and said they will prepare final appropriation resolutions for the formal April vote and produce the budget documents reflecting the wrap-up decisions. The wrap-up motion recorded the board’s direction on tax-year 2025 and 2026 rates and on the FY26 proposed appropriations as amended.","After extended debate and several substitute motions, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a wrap-up appropriation resolving FY26 rates and budget allocations, including lowering the personal-property vehicle tax for tax year 2026 to $3.09 per $100 of assessed value; the final wrap-up motion passed 8-0-1.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6635587,"Board directs county to cover full PRCS camp tuition for eligible families for FY26 using state grant",1325,3791000,5116000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d&start=3791&end=5116","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2631808-e0b225a603cc99a93d473e208743fd5d/thumbnail_3791000.jpg","/articles/6635587/Virginia/Board-directs-county-to-cover-full-PRCS-camp-tuition-for-eligible-families-for-FY26-using-state-grant","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6635587-21774a52717e93f8e4c8cf52b1ed8c20/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151433&Signature=T3kd6LlXpcyv7RO8RA3QSD1mk~McgGdrRxXSemHoxa4YsPRUBlCKsY6w-TnJ0BfCiynL7S9BBJJsvkW8JrDhMPtW8Hs-yM1iDsEfbPRKtXT3ouoEpmTAdoyvr4OUOY7vPe814xBWjd--7RYf0VJ1MISJbEgQDBQlo9sg-JzehNAJqGg5JSJVDlOJSxqGFU1UNmYrb36C2ec4J0lkT1u54Uv4EBMpz28En6nSxU9jRcf0K29FGOOfEvK5B-PNGXIvryGJtYHoaNOdYFQqc8NBjZC7uNdlypDzTJ4lwnfZ~KgCAiEgonRmXgCJHOzB00gl5KMChKkMYP~w23j04fXK2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted on March 13 to direct staff to change PRCS CARES guidance to cover the full cost of tuition for children eligible under PRCS CARES Option 1, using available child-care stabilization grant funding for fiscal year 2026. Supervisor Phyllis J. Glass made the motion; Supervisor Matthew Sainz seconded it. The board approved the measure with a tally the clerk recorded as seven yes, zero no, and two abstentions.

The change applies to children attending CASA, YAZ and PRCS summer camps who meet Option 1 eligibility — a category supervisors and staff described as including families who receive free or reduced-price school lunches and other income-qualified benefits. Supervisor Glass said covering 100% of fees would make summer care “much easier, much more attainable” for families she described as financially stressed and for students experiencing housing instability.

Why it matters: County staff told the board the initiative would use existing federal grant funding administered through the Virginia Department of Education (the Child Care Stabilization Grant) and therefore carries no immediate local tax impact. County staff estimated that, at current participation levels, the $2,700,000 of grant dollars on hand would take roughly six years to exhaust. The board included language directing staff to return to the Finance, Government Operations, and Economic Development Committee during the FY27 budget-development process with options for long-term funding beyond the grant.

County staff and supervisors clarified implementation timing and scope. Staff said fee changes and registration updates would be rolled out to coincide with the next school-year registration cycle so that the assistance takes effect with the new school year rather than immediately midyear. School-transportation questions raised during debate were answered by staff and the schools: transportation support for McKinney‑Vento students could be addressed through current school transportation resources; staff said if grant dollars cover full tuition, some school transportation funds previously used to subsidize tuition could be redirected to transportation for eligible students.

Supervisor Glass and several colleagues emphasized program capacity and the need for follow-up. Supervisors urged staff to return with enrollment and capacity estimates so the board can assess how quickly the grant funding would be consumed if participation rises. Staff told the board they are planning capacity expansions for CASA and that additional staffing requests are part of ongoing budget work.

The board recorded the motion as directing staff to implement 100% tuition coverage for qualifying PRCS programs in FY26 using the Child Care Stabilization Grant and to return with long-term funding options for FY27 budget deliberations.","The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to use Virginia childcare stabilization grant dollars to pay 100% of PRCS summer-camp tuition for families eligible under PRCS CARES Option 1 for fiscal year 2026, and directed staff to return with long‑term funding options during FY27 budget development.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

LCPS officials tell supervisors federal funds are earmarked; board to take school-meal debt to joint committee

Commonwealth's Attorney clarifies diversion, specialty dockets and language limitations during budget session discussion

Board adopts FY26 wrap-up: personal property vehicle tax cut to $3.09, final budget adjustments pass

Board directs county to cover full PRCS camp tuition for eligible families for FY26 using state grant