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Portsmouth council reappropriates $45.4 million in school grant funds, approves additional transfers and tourism grants
Summary
The Portsmouth City Council on June 10 voted unanimously to reappropriate $45,441,964 in unspent federal grant funds for Portsmouth Public Schools and to appropriate $2,789,480 in new federal school grants, while also approving several smaller transfers and tourism grants.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Portsmouth City Council on June 10 voted unanimously to move large federal school grant dollars into the fiscal 2025 budget and approved several related budgetary actions.
The council adopted an ordinance to reappropriate $45,441,964 in unexpended federal grant funds from the FY2024 Portsmouth Public Schools grant fund to the FY2025 grant fund and to appropriate $2,789,480 in new federal grant funds to the FY2025 schools grant budget. The motion passed on a 6–0 vote.
That action was the largest financial item on a slate of budget-related items the council took up that evening. The council also approved an earnest transfer of $250,000 from the social services fund to the Children's Services Act fund to increase the local match for mandated services, and accepted two tourism grants — a $22,500 Marketing Leverage Tourism Grant and a $20,000 Destination Marketing Organization grant from the Virginia Tourism Corporation — appropriating those funds to the FY2025 grants fund for use by the Department of Museums and Tourism. The council also adopted an ordinance accepting the donation of a 2008 Northwind boat and a King boat trailer from the City of Norfolk for the Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.
Why it matters: The school grant reappropriation and the new grant awards provide the Portsmouth Public Schools system with federal grant authority to continue programs funded in FY2024 and to implement newly awarded grant activities in FY2025. The $250,000 transfer to the Children's Services Act fund supplies the local match the city said is required to receive mandated services funding.
How the council acted: The City Clerk read the ordinance texts aloud before council votes. A councilmember moved to adopt each ordinance and a second was recorded; each item passed 6–0 with no recorded dissent or amendment.
What was not decided: The council adopted the appropriations and transfers as presented; council discussion on these items was limited during the meeting and no amendments or follow-up directions were recorded on the enacted ordinances.
The council packet and adopted ordinances will provide the official accounting and any program-level conditions attached to the grants and transfers.
