Southampton County board approves FY26 operating budget with staffing cuts after reduced county funding

The Southampton County School Board on Monday approved a revised FY26 local operating budget after the Board of Supervisors provided less local funding than requested, requiring the district to remove proposed positions and contemplate reductions to existing staff.

The board voted to adopt the budget as presented after discussion; two members voted no. Dr. Shannon (school division presenter) told the board that the county approved a level of local funding that was $2,404,076 less than the district requested. "Now we've been talking about this over the last couple of months because that was what they had, recommended was level funding for the operating budget," Dr. Shannon said during the discussion.

Why it matters: The shortfall required removing all additional positions the division had requested, including special education teachers, kindergarten paraprofessionals and other instructional positions, while retaining a 3% salary increase because the state provided funds specifically for that purpose. The board emphasized the budget's dependence on final enrollment figures: the division said if actual enrollment on Sept. 30 exceeds state projections, some positions could be restored.

Most important facts: The division reported a revised local operating budget for the fiscal year and told the board that as of May 31 roughly 73.18% of that budget had been expended. To close the gap between requested and approved funding, the division removed requests for: one special education teacher at Nottoway, one at Riverdale, two special education teachers at the high school, kindergarten paraprofessionals at several schools, a southern float pool for substitutes, an assistant superintendent position, a vacant school social worker, and 15 instructional staff positions that are currently filled.

Board members asked for further detail on how cuts would be applied. "So if we choose to approve this tonight, we're talking about 15 people finding out this week that they don't have jobs for next time?" asked one board member. Division leaders said some staff are on memoranda of understanding (MOUs), many positions are impacted by licensure status, and administrators have been meeting with individuals throughout the year about licensing and expectations. Dr. Shannon said, "we are having conversations. They're tough conversations to have, but none of them should be blindsided because we've been meeting with them year after year."

Next steps and contingency: The division will monitor enrollment. Officials said an increase of roughly 100 students over projections would create about $1 million in additional state funding and could allow restoration of some positions. The board approved the budget with the cuts in place; if enrollment comes in higher, the board may reallocate funds to reinstate positions.

Additional actions taken at the meeting included approval of the monthly expenditure report and payment of bills.