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Isle of Wight school board adopts FY 2026 budget after ranking discretionary items
Summary
The Isle of Wight County School Board on March 18 adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget after ranking required and discretionary requests, resolving several tied priorities and agreeing that a new CTE director will be a central office position based in a high school.
The Isle of Wight County School Board adopted its fiscal year 2026 budget during a special budget work session March 18 at Westside Elementary, voting 5-0 to approve the budget as ranked by board members.
Board members said they separated the superintendent’s proposed budget into required and discretionary items, then each member ranked discretionary requests so the district could fund priorities if county allocations fall short. The prioritized lists and the summed rankings are posted on BoardDocs, the board was told.
Board members resolved a series of ties by assigning “A” and “B” labels and, where needed, taking informal votes. Among the tie-break outcomes recorded in the session: the textbook fund contribution was placed above the human-resources coordinator request; after-school programs were ranked above an increase in nurse substitute pay; an instructional assistant for welding was placed above CTE equipment repairs; transportation needs were ranked above clinic assistance in one tied pair after an informal vote; lead clinic assistant stipends were prioritized over CPR trainer stipends in another tie; an iPad replacement rotation was prioritized above the MyView bus-tracking system; fleet vehicle parts were prioritized above technology equipment for new positions; and annual AEDs were prioritized over operations equipment leases in the capital-improvement list.
Board discussion also addressed the planned career and technical education director position. The board agreed the position will be created as a central office role that will spend the majority of its time working in schools. Board members and Superintendent Dr. Kramer said the director will work closely with Smithfield High and Windsor High, the Iowa Maritime Trades Academy partnership and representatives from the shipyard and from Paul D. Camp Community College (the school referenced in the meeting as Camp Community College) tied to a lab-school grant. Board members referenced a $2,700,000 lab-school grant connected to that partnership; board members said the CTE director will coordinate across those partners while reporting to central office rather than to an individual principal.
The board said the ranked lists will guide decisions if the county does not provide enough funding to cover all items; the district will fund items from the top of the ranked list downward until the county allocation is exhausted. The clerk was asked to clean up the A/B tie markings and repost the finalized priority lists to BoardDocs.
The meeting opened with a roll call and a motion to approve the agenda for the open session, which carried. Later, a motion to adopt the FY 2026 Isle of Wight County Schools budget as ranked by the board carried on a roll-call vote with all five members present voting yes.
The board adjourned after thanking staff and noting the next step is to work with the county administration on final funding allocations.
