Board hears carry-forward budget proposal; staff seeks public hearing for March 25

District staff presented a carry-forward expenditure proposal and asked the Accomack County School Board to schedule a public hearing at its March 25 meeting on a budget amendment to allocate carryover funds for FY 2026 priorities.

Staff described the division’s historical carry-forward authority (1.25% carryover allowed by the county, roughly just under $1 million) and said the county and state had earlier granted waivers that allowed the division to save funds for a school office renovation starting in 2018. The presentation said the county is contributing $2.5 million toward the Ackermack Primary School renovation and that, after competitive bids, the project’s current estimate is just under $10 million with the school district funding the majority of that total (including a contingency). Staff also said the district has school-construction funds and an “All in Virginia” allocation of more than $2,000,000 earmarked across this year and next.

Staff proposed dividing carry-forward funds into three categories: one-time purchases, savings for capital projects (for example, gym and renovation projects), and contingency. The FY 2026 capital improvement items shown in the packet total just over $1 million; examples noted at the meeting included potential funds for history textbooks (state list not yet released) and an as-yet-unknown estimate for the concrete border around the Arcadia High School track (staff said an estimate was expected by the end of the week). Staff also said a specially equipped bus to transport Rivermont students has been ordered but may not arrive until after June 30; in that case staff recommended placing its cost in carry-forward.

Staff discussed retention and sign-on bonuses as part of the carry-forward candidates — the packet used last year’s figures ($2,000 retention, $1,000 sign-on) as a baseline and noted the board could choose higher targeted sign-on bonuses for hard-to-fill positions such as special education. The board was asked to consider whether to use some carry-forward funds for these incentives to support recruitment ahead of FY 2026.

Why this matters: Carry-forward budgeting determines which one-time needs and capital projects the division can fund without changing the base tax-supported operating budget. The proposal would allocate saved funds to a mix of capital, contingency and recruitment incentives and requires a public hearing and a future board approval to become effective.

Next steps: The superintendent’s office asked the board to schedule a public hearing at the March 25 meeting; staff said the board may approve the budget amendment immediately after that hearing or consider it at a later meeting. Staff committed to provide additional cost estimates (for the Arcadia track border and the specially equipped bus) via email to board members.

Clarifying details from the meeting - County carryover rule: 1.25% allowed (described as just under $1,000,000 in the presentation). - County contribution: $2.5 million toward Ackermack Primary School renovation. - Project estimate: presenter said the current renovation estimate is just under $10,000,000 (with contingency and competitive bid results factored in). - “All in Virginia” funds: described as over $2,000,000 to be spent this year and next. - Proposed recruitment incentives: $2,000 retention bonus and $1,000 sign-on bonus used as baseline figures; board may target higher amounts for specific hard-to-fill roles. - Shinkategg gym estimate shown as about $2.9 million (noted as tentative because of unknown swale conditions). - Specially equipped bus for Rivermont students: ordered but may arrive after June 30; staff suggested funding via carry-forward if delayed.

Public comment and scheduling: Staff requested the board set a public hearing on the carry-forward budget amendment for March 25. Board members asked for additional details on vehicle specifications and cost comparisons for the specially equipped bus; staff agreed to follow up by email.