Caroline schools say FY25 budget hires improved services, compliance and participation

Superintendent Sarah Kalverick and director of human resources Paige Tucker told the Caroline County Public Schools board that the division's FY25 budget added staff and converted positions that the administration says improved services for students and eased operational strain.

The presentation on staffing and FY25 funding enumerated roughly 58 positions and 30 contract adjustments funded in the 2024–25 school year, the superintendent said. The list included a 504 specialist, school safety officers, conversions of 30 part‑time bus drivers to full‑time contracts, additional exceptional‑education teachers and paraprofessionals, novice teacher coaches, seven general education teachers, a gifted teacher and several positions funded by the VDOE’s All In grant.

Why it matters: Board members and administrators said the hires were intended to shore up legal compliance, reduce administrator workload and increase student supports. Kalverick told the board the budget choices “put people over things,” and administrators provided specific measures of impact tied to individual positions.

Among the details presented: - The new 504 specialist supported documentation and scheduling for 186 students and conducted 234 meetings as an administrative designee, which the presentation estimated saved roughly 175 administrator hours. The specialist also led professional learning and created process documentation for case managers. - Two school safety officers were assigned to Caroline High School and Caroline Middle School to supplement SRO coverage, carry out arrival and dismissal supervision, monitor hallways and support disciplinary investigations. - Transportation converted 30 part‑time, 4‑hour driver contracts into full‑time (6.5‑hour) positions; 23 of the 30 conversions were filled at the time of the presentation and staff reported one route without a permanent driver. - Exceptional education staffing increases included five teachers and five paraprofessionals to manage growing special‑education caseloads; the division reported 694 students with disabilities in the December 1 count. - The activities director position was moved from ESSER to local funding; staff reported participation increases at Caroline Middle School from 235 students in clubs last year to 481 this year and an overall athletics increase noted in the presentation. - All In grant positions (VDOE funds earmarked for tutoring, Virginia Literacy Act work and chronic absenteeism) funded an attendance officer who had completed or overseen about 1,910 attendance meetings/plans and a literacy support specialist who guided literacy implementation.

Board discussion and context: Board members praised the bus‑driver conversions and the Special Olympics support, and asked clarifying questions about retention and measurable savings. Trustee Michael Hubbard commended the transportation changes as a “success story.” Vice Chair Lydell Fortune and other board members emphasized that several hires supported compliance with state standards of quality and helped address a growing English‑learner population (reported to have increased from 124 to 195 students over three school years).

What the presentation did not specify: exact recurring costs tied to each position beyond FY25 funding sources, and long‑term budget commitments for positions originally funded by grants that expire (presenters noted some All In grant positions expire at the end of FY26). The board and superintendent noted they are monitoring FY26 funding from the governor and county.

Next steps: The administration said it will continue tracking outcomes tied to these positions and answer follow‑up questions from the board. Kalverick and Tucker invited questions and thanked the board and the Board of Supervisors for adopting the FY25 budget that supported the staffing changes.