Lynchburg school board hears public on FY26 budget as division seeks $5.5 million from city

The Lynchburg City Schools board held the legally required public hearing on the division’s fiscal year 2026 operating budget and heard public comment as officials outlined a continuing gap between what the division requested and what the city has signaled it can provide.

“It's just a quick update for everybody. We requested $5,500,000 from the city; current budget numbers have $2,710,000, so roughly 50% of what we requested,” Doctor Copeland, the superintendent, told the board during the budget discussion. “We have to wait for the governor and the legislature” to finish action on the state budget, he added.

The division’s chief financial presenter said the February month-end financials show revenue and expenditure timing differences but no new notable variances for the month. Board members also said recent action at the state level — a governor’s amendment to the budget — changed the calculation of a support-staff “cap” and will reduce funding for positions the division had expected.

The nut graf: The shortfall matters because the division’s largest costs are salaries and benefits; board members said the combination of reduced city support and uncertain state funding could force personnel or program decisions once final numbers are known.

Details from the presentation and discussion

- Superintendent Doctor Copeland and finance committee members said the city-level allocation shown so far ($2.71 million) is far short of the $5.5 million the schools requested. Doctor Copeland warned the board and public the general-assembly process and a governor’s line-item changes could reduce state support for “support staff cap” funding and that the net effect for Lynchburg could be the financial equivalent of about 17 additional staff positions (board discussion estimated roughly $1 million in impact).

- The division's CFO (identified in the record as Miss Jamies) presented month-end figures for Feb. 28 showing that, at two-thirds of the fiscal year, revenue collections and expenditures are proceeding but with some legacy variances still being processed. She told the board there were three outstanding variances the staff continued to reconcile, including personnel in attendance/health services, security services overage driven by safety programs, and technology classroom-instruction costs tied to software purchases.

- Board members emphasized outreach to state lawmakers. Mister Connor urged citizens to contact delegates and senators immediately, saying the general assembly would act quickly and that overturning the governor’s changes could materially affect the division’s ability to maintain hourly-wage increases and positions.

Public hearing and process

The board opened the formal, legally required public hearing that is limited to budget comments. One person signed up to speak during the budget hearing and used her time to press the board to preserve services to students while being transparent about decisions. After public comment the board voted to close the hearing by roll call.

What happens next

Board members said the city council’s schedule — including an April 22 city budget hearing — and the legislature’s short session timelines will determine final local and state allocations. The board plans to press the city for full funding of the school division’s request and to report back to the public once the final state and city decisions are known.

Ending

Board members reiterated that personnel costs are the district’s primary budget driver and urged residents to stay engaged during the city and state budget processes. The superintendent and finance staff said they will provide updated revenue and expenditure figures once the legislature and city finalize actions.