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Virginia Beach City Public Schools requests salary increases, health‑fund stabilization and delays a Princess Anne High replacement to 2037
Summary
Virginia Beach City Public Schools proposed an operating budget that prioritizes employee compensation and health-fund stabilization and presented a six‑year capital plan that keeps Princess Anne High School as the top replacement priority but projects construction starting in 2037 under current funding assumptions.
Leaders of Virginia Beach City Public Schools presented an operating and capital request that focuses the majority of projected new revenue on employee compensation while also identifying significant capital needs and uncertainty about state and federal funding streams.
School Board Chair Kathleen Brown and Superintendent Dr. Aaron Robertson outlined priorities that include salary and benefits increases, expansion of workforce development programs and a multi-year capital plan that schedules Princess Anne High School as the division’s top replacement priority but not for immediate construction.
The division’s operating budget totals roughly $995 million and the school operating fund request showed additional revenue of approximately $30.1 million (based on the governor’s proposed state budget and the city’s revenue-sharing projection). The board-approved budget proposal dedicates roughly $34 million of additional resources to compensation and benefits. Key compensation items in the superintendent’s estimate of needs include roughly $14.3 million to support a 2% increase in instructional entry-level pay plus a 1.5% step and roughly $10.7 million to support a 3% increase in unified-scale entry pay with steps for experience tiers.
Superintendent Robertson flagged employee health insurance as a material operating risk. The division has increased employer contributions effective January 1, 2025, and proposes an additional employer contribution of $8 million effective January 1, 2026, to stabilize the health fund. Staff said further employee contribution adjustments could be considered for the 2026 plan year if necessary.
Programmatic additions and other requests include expanded career and technical education (a welding lab at Renaissance Academy, aviation maintenance and medical assisting pathways with increased dual-enrollment opportunities), 12 special-education teacher assistant positions for middle and high schools, additional gifted services and transportation funding for a recently approved regional recovery high school.
On capital planning, the division proposed a larger one-year plan reversion in FY26 that increases available CIP cash to direct toward Princess Anne High School as the priority replacement. The presentation, however, projected construction start for Princess Anne in 2037 and Bayside in 2051 under current funding assumptions. The division said the timeline reflected current debt-capacity and projected funding and that a work group will pursue alternative approaches — seeking to accelerate replacement dates and reduce overall project cost through value-engineering and new delivery options.
The schools told council the division’s revenue mix is nearly evenly split between local and state sources (about 49.6% local and 48.5% state). The presenters warned that federal grant uncertainty — including programs tied to IDEA and other categorical funds — also poses planning risk.
What the council will do next: staff acknowledged the school request and indicated the reconciliation portion of the city budget process will address whether and how additional state or local revenue will be appropriated to meet the division’s proposals. School leaders said they will return to the board and council with further analysis from the planned work group on capital delivery and timing.
