Board approves first reading of 20252026 general fund budget; projected $800,481 gap to be covered

The Chesterfield County School District board approved first reading of the 20252026 general fund budget after a presentation from Chief Financial Officer Kevin Kasky that included updated revenue estimates, mandated cost increases and proposed program changes.

Kasky said the district27s projected general fund revenue is $77,902,295 and the proposed expenditure budget is $78,702,776, leaving a projected fund-balance gap of $800,481 to balance the year. "The projected fund balance that we would need to balance this year's budget is $800,481," he told the board.

The proposed budget incorporates state-mandated increases: a $1,500 increase to each rung of the teacher salary schedule, step increases for eligible employees, a 4.6% increase in employer health-care costs and a 2% increase to the state minimum bus salary schedule. Kasky also noted a $25,000 increase to the arts budget and a 1% cost-of-living adjustment for non-teacher schedules (excluding administration).

Revenue assumptions include a tentative state aid increase (tied to the proviso discussion) and an assumed 3-mil millage increase budgeted to bring in about $294,000. Kasky said the district had not yet received updated Department of Education revenue projections from the Senate and that the state proviso discussions could change the figures.

Comparing to an earlier workshop, Kasky said the fund-balance need decreased from $1,666,481 to about $804,481. He attributed the reduction to removing several planned expenditures—including behavior therapists, additional school psychologists and bus monitors—and to a small revenue increase of about $191,000.

Board members asked detailed questions about specific line items and implementation:

- Bus monitors: The proposal would add approximately 40 part-time bus monitors at an estimated cost of $275,000; Kasky said that would place monitors on roughly half the buses. Board members raised safety concerns about large routes with as many as 60 or more students and requested the district bring a transportation supervisor or bus-driver representative to a future meeting to detail route-specific issues. Kasky said part-time monitors would not automatically carry benefits unless the employee27s hours met the thresholds for benefits.

- IT positions: Eleven technology positions discussed by the board are not shown as new line items in the budget presentation; Kasky said the plan is to fund those positions with vacancy savings and that doing so "will not change the bottom line."

- Tuition and other costs: Kasky cited an estimated tuition figure of about $950,000 when asked, and he indicated some numbers were approximate.

After discussion the board moved and seconded the motion for first reading; the motion passed on voice vote. One board member said they would support first reading but not a millage increase at second reading.

Next steps: the board approved first reading and will hold further discussion before the second reading, when final adoption and decisions on millage and any restored expenditures will be made.