Pittsylvania County School Board adopts draft $125.6 million FY2025–26 budget; public hearing set for March 25

Miss Worley, presenting the budget materials to the board, said the proposed FY2025–26 operating budget totals $125,600,000 and will go forward to a public hearing at 6 p.m. March 25 in the school board office boardroom.

Worley said the budget used the General Assembly’s budget approved Feb. 22, 2025, noting the governor has until March 24 to approve or veto and the General Assembly reconvenes April 2 to address any changes. The presentation cited roughly $3.9 million in new state revenues driven by ADM increases, a 10% add-on for special education, higher school breakfast payments and a raised support cap; the proposal also includes a $2.1 million increase in local appropriation, of which about $600,000 is required to meet the minimum and $1.5 million is intended to maintain funding at approximately 6% over that minimum.

Worley summarized key proposed expenditures: a 5% salary increase plus any applicable step increases, a 10% increase in athletic supplement pay, greater sick-leave payouts for VRS employees, an additional building trades position, software and training platforms, middle school sports allocations and several maintenance construction projects. The school nutrition (cafeteria) budget was described as “a little over $7,000,000.”

Board members moved and seconded a motion to approve the draft FY2025–26 budget for submission to the Board of Supervisors; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with all named members recorded as voting yes. Board members also approved the cafeteria budget and asked that the draft be transmitted to the Board of Supervisors for its hearing and approval.

The budget packet included a notice of a public hearing on March 25 at 6 p.m.; Worley and the board asked that community members attend the hearing to comment before the county supervisors’ review.