Roanoke leaders review budget shortfalls and consider a 1% meals tax, sales-tax referendum for school construction

Roanoke City Council and the Roanoke City School Board heard detailed budget briefings at a joint meeting where school and city leaders described growing operating and capital gaps and discussed potential new local revenues.

Superintendent Dr. White, Roanoke City Public Schools, told the joint session the division faces rising student needs — including an increase in students needing English‑learner services from about 1,094 in 2019 to roughly 2,340 now, and McKinney‑Vento homelessness counts that have grown from roughly 300 in 2019 to “upwards of almost 700.” She said about 65% of students live in households classified as economically disadvantaged. Those shifts, she said, increase recurring costs at the same time the state has reduced some grants: “We are already expecting to need to cut $2,000,000 from the budget,” Dr. White said, and the division may face a nearly…