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…