Orange County School Board approves FY 2025-26 budget with proposed teacher pay increases

The Orange County School Board voted to approve the fiscal year 2025-26 operating budget that includes a proposed reworking of the teacher pay scale and increased starting wages for several classified positions.

The approval followed a public hearing at which several Orange County High School teachers urged the board to pass the budget to improve teacher recruitment and retention. After staff presented updated revenue from the General Assembly and reviewed proposed salary adjustments, the board made a motion to approve the budget; the motion carried by voice vote.

The budget presentation, given by Superintendent Doctor Hornick and staff, said updated state funding (based on the Virginia calc tool) increased projected state revenue by about $1 million compared with an earlier draft and reduced the division’s ask to the county. The district proposed a broad teacher pay adjustment that the presentation said would move Orange’s scale “closer to the market median” used in comparisons with eight nearby divisions. The administration described the change as the equivalent of roughly a 16–17% average increase across teacher steps when combined with step movement, with larger dollar increases at higher steps; the presentation framed the package as a multi-year correction to longstanding pay gaps.

The package also included targeted increases to starting wages for classified staff: a proposed head custodian starting wage of $18 per hour, custodians to $16 per hour, and building-level secretaries to $18 per hour (presentation noted current secretaries were at about $14.23 per hour). The administration said the budget includes a planning assumption of a 3% across-the-board increase plus these targeted adjustments and anticipates an assumed 15% health-insurance increase for planning purposes, subject to actual market movement.

Teachers and school staff who spoke during the public hearing described high turnover and recruitment challenges. Brianna Hoover, who identified herself as a teacher at Orange County High School for 18 years, told the board that the district hires many career changers who lack formal preparation and that mentoring those new hires is unsustainable unless pay improves. Michael Howie, also a high school teacher, described community ties and said a more competitive pay scale would improve recruitment and retention. Mary Somar and John Ivywood, both teachers, echoed the need for higher pay to reduce burnout and retain experienced staff.

Board members praised the administration’s analysis. Several members commented that the package was the result of work to make salaries competitive and to address long-term staffing instability. The board chair made the motion to approve the FY 2025-26 budget as presented; members responded by voice vote and the motion carried.

The board directed staff to forward the approved budget package to the county supervisors for their review and potential appropriation. The administration said some numbers remain contingent on the governor’s signature of the state budget and on the actual health-insurance rate.

Votes at a glance: The board adopted the FY 2025-26 operating budget (motion passed by voice vote; roll-call tally not specified in the minutes).