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School superintendent urges board to budget for teacher raises, cites pending state aid numbers
Summary
King George County schools presented local funding requests tied to state calculations; superintendent said a smaller state estimate reduces the local ask but could still leave unfunded costs for the division.
Dr. Boyd, superintendent of King George County Schools, told the Board of Supervisors that the school division's local request for FY2026 depends on which state funding estimate the county uses.
Dr. Boyd said the division's request tied to the General Assembly's current calculation would require $1,233,423 in additional local funds; if the county used the governor's larger estimate the local need would be closer to $2.2 million. "As of right now, based on the General Assembly we're down to $1,233,423," Dr. Boyd said.
The superintendent said the school request is built around a 3 percent across‑the‑board pay increase for employees, a compression adjustment for staff at step 10, and a 12 percent increase in health‑insurance costs. "The 3 percent salary increase is for all employees," Dr. Boyd said, and the compression adjustment affects longer‑tenured employees; both are recurring, ongoing costs.
Board members asked whether the state's 3 percent raise is intended for all positions and whether the state fully funds positions required by the Standards of Quality. Dr. Boyd said the state funding covers SOQ positions but local divisions typically hire additional staff that require local support; he said all of those items were included in the draft local request.
The board and administration agreed to use the General Assembly calc tool as the working assumption for the county's draft budget, and planned to revisit numbers after the state budget is clearer around May 2. Dr. Boyd urged the supervisors to prioritize funding for employees, saying the salary increases create ongoing budget obligations that the division must cover in future years.
Dr. Boyd also told the board the division has been permitted to carry forward year‑end fund balances and that better investment or preservation of prior balances could support capital needs in the future. The superintendent offered to provide more detailed breakdowns of activity funds and other local balances when requested by the board.
