Powhatan school board hears special education budget; board agrees to 'pencil in' psychology intern funding

Powhatan County School Board budget workshop participants on Feb. 6 reviewed the school division'wide special education budget and discussed adding psychology intern positions to the proposed budget.

Doctor Prince, the staff presenter for special education, told the board that "in our December 1 count, we had 604 students that we are serving for this school year," a decline of about 14 students from the prior year but with growing early-childhood eligibility demands. She said the special education budget uses local funds together with "6 11 and 6 19 grant funds, as well as local funding," and noted an increase of roughly $18,000 this year for professional development and in-county travel. She also warned that "legal services" spending has increased and remains a large line item.

The budget presentation said the division is providing transportation for 28 students placed in private day programs; those placements are funded through CSA but the division must supply transport, leading to higher transportation costs in the special education budget. Prince described new or continued position requests that support intensive services and cited a recently added assistant-director position as a resource for delivering services.

Why it matters: Special education makes up a material portion of the division'wide operating budget and touches hundreds of students across Powhatan schools. Board members pressed staff for clarity on legal-services spending and options to reduce costly due-process escalations.

Discussion and follow-up: Board members asked about capacity for professional development, early identification and parent supports. Prince said staff use a parent liaison, mediation resources and external support groups (PEATC) and that the Virginia Department of Education has a parent ombudsman, but that the division still encourages parents to contact the division first. On due process, Prince said there was "one that did not proceed to a due process hearing" and when including a summer 2024 case that led into the school year the count remains very small.

Psychology intern funding: The proposal to begin an intern program prompted extended board discussion. Prince said the intern model helps lower the cost of school psychology services and provides training pipeline capacity; "the cost of an intern is about half of the cost of a psychologist," the presenter said. Board members repeatedly expressed support for adding interns if the budget permits. After discussion the board agreed informally to "pencil in" funding for one intern and to investigate adding a second if feasible; the superintendent and staff will return with updated budget figures and any necessary offsets. The staff estimate provided during the meeting for an intern position was stated as "$19,700 with benefits." Board members emphasized they wanted to confirm feasibility before formally approving additions.

What was not decided: The board did not make a formal binding vote during the workshop on hiring interns or changing special education staffing levels; members asked staff to refine numbers, identify offsets and return with recommended language for the proposed FY26 budget.

Next steps: Staff will provide line-by-line backup and refined cost estimates on legal-fee trends, transportation, and the proposed intern positions for later budget sessions and for the public hearing process.