Greensville County Public Schools request local funds, propose 3% pay increases in FY2026 budget presentation

Greensville County Public Schools presented its proposed fiscal 2026 budget at a joint budget work session, asking localities for $10,000,008.98 in combined local contributions and proposing a 3% pay increase for all staff, plus coverage of a new central-office lease.

“Our vision, cultivating excellence, transforming lives, impacting futures,” said Dr. Edwards during the presentation, which school staff delivered to members of the Board of Supervisors, the Emporia City Council and the Board of Education.

The request is built on projected revenues that school staff said will include a drop in state construction funds that appeared in the FY2025 picture but are not expected to repeat in FY2026. School officials said the division’s FY2026 projected expenditures are roughly $39.6 million and that instruction accounts for about $28 million of the budget, with operations the next-largest category. Federal grants and nutrition programs were presented as separate revenue streams. "For fiscal year 20 26, this slide here shows the projected revenues... the top line, the state funding, you can see there is a drop in state funding," the internal auditor said during the financial overview.

School staff highlighted enrollment and personnel impacts. K–12 average daily membership (ADM) used in the request was presented as 1,922 students (staff also cited a 1,911 figure for certain calculations); the division has not returned to pre-2021 enrollment above 2,000. Officials said the governor’s proposed state budget includes a 3% salary increase for Standards of Quality (SOQ) positions but does not cover non-SOQ positions such as bus drivers, maintenance and nutrition staff. The division therefore asked the localities to fund a 3% increase for non-SOQ positions as well.

The presentation included specific local cost estimates tied to the request: Emporia City’s share was presented as about $117,000 and Greensville County’s share about $191,000 (figures were presented by school staff as the local portions tied to the FY2026 request). School officials also said the division negotiated a lease for a new central office and asked localities to cover that rent in the coming budget.

School finance slides showed the division drawing roughly 58% of revenue from state sources, with local contributions and federal funds making up the remainder. Staff described the division as balanced for FY2026, noting prior one-time construction funds that reduced in the new projection: "Those construction funds must be spent this fiscal year and we cannot carry them over into the next fiscal year," a school official said in response to a question.

A 0% health insurance renewal was highlighted as a cost containment item: "For the first time in our history, we have a 0% health insurance renewal," the internal auditor said. School leaders said ESSER grants have ended and several federal grants expire at different times, creating uncertainty in federal revenue assumptions.

Officials also outlined capital and maintenance needs expected in FY2027 planning, including ADA compliance work at the Greensville County High School football stadium and press box, replacement of gym bleachers and interior doors, failing rooftop HVAC units at White Bridal School, interior lighting replacements divisionwide, and electrical and plumbing work at the district warehouse that serves maintenance, school nutrition and transportation.

After the presentation, staff announced a public hearing and formal adoption timeline: a public hearing on the FY2026 budget will be held at Greensville County High School during the regularly scheduled school board meeting in April, followed by the official adoption of the proposed budget by the school board.

The work session included two formal procedural voice votes: the meeting agenda was approved by voice vote early in the session, and a motion near the end of the joint work session to close the meeting was approved by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript.