The Henry County School Board on a unanimous voice vote approved adjusted fiscal year 2026 budget amendments after the Henry County Board of Supervisors approved a lower local funding amount than the school board requested.

The school board originally approved an operating budget request totaling $121,070,322, which included $24,744,338 in local funding, board member discussion showed. On April 29 the Board of Supervisors approved a reduced operating total of $119,724,257 — $1,346,075 less than the school board request — and the school board moved the entire reduction into its facilities category to reconcile the division budget.

The shift reduced the facilities line to $103,925, board presenters said. The board approved the adjusted FY26 budget as presented; the superintendent noted the final state budget could change after the governor acts and that further amendments may follow.

Separately, the board approved a categorical transfer request to move $1,151,974 from instruction to pupil transportation to fund replacement buses. The transfer would fund the purchase of six special education buses and four 65-passenger conventional buses from Sunny Merriman of Rusburg, Virginia, under state contract CTR005753-6. Board members emphasized safety and the age of the existing fleet; presenters said 16 65-passenger buses were 20 years or older, some with more than 300,000 miles.

The board then authorized purchase of up to eight 65-passenger buses (estimated $131,849 each) and six special education buses (estimated range $93,131–$109,579 each) from Sunny Merriman under the same state contract. The motions to transfer funds and to purchase buses were both approved unanimously by voice/hand vote.

Board members and staff said the replacement purchases were driven by safety and reliability concerns and noted that additional budget amendments may be required depending on the final state budget.

The board did not record individual roll-call votes in the public record of the meeting; outcomes were announced as unanimous by the chair.