School board deadlocks on 2025-26 budget after debate over millage for bus monitors

Chesterfield County School Board failed to pass its proposed fiscal 2025-26 general fund budget on the second reading after multiple tied votes and sharp debate over adding property tax revenue to fund bus monitors.

The board spent more than an hour considering the recommended $78,752,776 expenditure budget and a proposed use of fund balance of $533,691. Discussion centered on a request to add a half-mill of property tax revenue to pay for approximately seven to eight bus monitors and whether to adopt a multi-mill increase to stabilize recurring needs.

Why it matters: Board members said the district has persistent safety and discipline challenges on some bus routes and that a small millage increase would buy a modest number of monitors intended to reduce on-bus incidents; others said they were unwilling to raise taxes without firmer, long-term revenue planning.

Kevin Caskey, the district chief financial officer, described the budget baseline and revenue math and gave the board the revenue context for the proposals. "A mill's about approximately $98,000 in revenue. So call it 100, that's gonna be approximately 50. Approximately $50,000 that we would add on the expenditure and the revenue side so that would net," Caskey said.

Board member Sweeney (board member) led the push for bus monitors, saying a small pilot could be deployed in trouble routes and then evaluated. "If we get 7 or 8 monitors and kinda spread them out over the county and let the transportation folks make that decision as to what route they need to be on, that can kinda help us, especially by next year, to come back and give us a report to let us know how things are working," Sweeney said.

The board voted on several competing motions:

- A motion to add a half-mill dedicated to bus monitors as part of a 3.5-mill package failed on a 4-4 tie. The chair noted Doctor Chapman was absent; the board reported four yes and four no votes and characterized the result as a tie, so the motion failed. (Outcome: failed — tie)

- A motion to approve the budget with no tax increase also failed on a 4-4 tie. (Outcome: failed — tie)

- A later motion to approve 2.5 mills for the budget with an additional half-mill to fund bus monitors (effectively a 3.0-mill outcome framed by the mover) likewise resulted in a 4-4 tie and did not pass. (Outcome: failed — tie)

Because no budget passed at the meeting, board members discussed scheduling a special meeting and whether to adopt a short continuing resolution so the district could operate past the June 30 target date. Board member motions were made to give the chief financial officer authority to prepare continuing-resolution paperwork and to post the required public notice; the board moved to pursue a continuing resolution and to schedule further meetings to reach a final decision.

Board members emphasized the limits of local revenue and the effects of state funding rules on local budgets. The superintendent and finance staff repeatedly warned that state-mandated salary increases and the current funding formula were increasing recurring costs. "When they've increased teacher salaries as much as they have over the last several years, nearly $10,000 and that makes up 80 something percent of our budget. That budget climbs fast," a member of the administration said during the discussion.

What happens next: Board members agreed to pursue the legal notice required for another meeting (15 days' notice in the county newspaper) and to consider a continuing resolution to carry the district across the June 30 date if necessary. The board scheduled a special meeting and said it would revisit the budget before the end of the statutory posting window.

Ending: The failure to approve a budget leaves the district operating under its prior-year controls unless the board returns with an approved continuing resolution or adopts a budget at a future meeting. Board members signaled they would reconvene with the full board present to try to reach a majority decision.