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Residents divided at Stafford budget hearing over whether to raise taxes to fund schools
Summary
At a March special-called budget public hearing, many speakers urged the Board of Supervisors to increase school funding and accept a higher tax rate; others, including seniors and some residents, opposed a tax increase and urged cost-cutting or alternative revenue measures.
At a March special-called meeting to hear the proposed FY2026 budget, dozens of Stafford County residents addressed the Board of Supervisors during the required public hearing and presented sharply different views about whether the county should raise property taxes to close school funding gaps.
Don Gray, a George Washington District resident, told the board he had no family ties to the school system but wanted “students in the Stafford County School System [to] receive a quality education,” and said he was “willing to pay a little bit more extra in taxes to see this happen.”
Several other speakers urged the board to increase school investment to attract and retain teachers, preserve school facilities and avoid modular classrooms. Clifford Heinzer, who presented slides comparing Stafford to other Virginia jurisdictions, said the county may be facing “a potential…
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