Clark County schools to present 4% salary proposal, keep two buses in FY26 budget request

Clark County Public Schools staff reviewed four executive‑summary budget scenarios at a Feb. 10 work session public hearing and board members said they will present a request to the county consistent with the scenario that includes a 4% salary increase, the division’s new‑position requests and two replacement buses.

Division staff presented a status‑quo executive summary that would increase the local general‑fund cost by $284,833 (excluding changes from health insurance, salary increases and new positions). Staff also ran three additional scenarios that layer in salary increases and projected health‑insurance increases: a 3% raise (total local cost roughly $1.47 million), a 4% raise (total local cost about $1.67 million) and a 5% raise (total local cost about $1.88 million). The presenter said the division budgeted a 10% health‑insurance increase (about $301,356) for planning; if the renewal rate resembles last year’s 2% increase, each executive summary could fall by roughly $250,000–$260,000.

Staff noted a VDOE crosswalk of the governor’s, House and Senate education proposals that would deliver an estimated $292,208 in additional state funding to Clark County in FY26 under the House or Senate proposals; the presenter said the House and Senate FY26 education operating proposals are unusually similar and that a conference budget may therefore change less between chambers than typical. Board members and staff discussed the timing and uncertainty of the state budget and the possibility that, if no new state budget is enacted by June 30, funding would revert to prior‑year formulas.

The division said the cost assumptions include two school buses at $135,000 each (noted by staff as a significant capital cost in the status‑quo summary). Staff offered options for timing the second bus purchase — defer one bus to FY27 or seek end‑of‑year carryover capital funds if available — and said transportation requested two buses next year but could delay one if needed.

Board members discussed teacher and staff competitiveness with nearby divisions. Staff presented estimated annual teacher pay increases by step: a 4% raise would raise teacher pay between about $2,112 and $3,266 depending on step; a 5% raise would raise pay between about $2,640 and $4,082. Members noted Frederick County’s proposed changes to its scale (including a larger increase at upper steps) and compared how changes in retirement formulas (BRS/VRS) affect lifetime pay and competitiveness.

Board members also discussed ancillary items staff suggested as low‑cost or nonmonetary incentives, including granting additional floating holidays for 12‑month employees and the calendar’s current 190 working‑day credit for teachers (the presenter described that as credit for grading/planning). The board asked staff to compile several follow‑up items: add state funding detail to the division’s comparison document and provide a high‑level estimate of likely end‑of‑year fund availability before the next finance committee meeting.

After discussion, board members indicated consensus to present executive summary 3 (the 4% salary scenario) to the county with the requested new positions and two buses included in the FY26 request. That agreement was recorded as a consensus direction; no roll‑call vote on the final request was recorded in the transcript.

The division repeatedly emphasized the two main uncertainties that could materially change the local request: the final state budget (House/Senate/conference outcomes) and the division’s health‑insurance renewal rate. Staff said the VDOE crosswalk and the division’s average daily membership assumptions are conservative and could produce more state revenue if enrollment and funding formulas differ from the conservative estimate used in the materials.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: staff will add state‑budget detail to the single comparison document requested by the board and will prepare an estimate of likely year‑end fund balance to inform whether one of the two buses could be funded from carryover rather than included in the FY26 request.

Sources: Clark County Public Schools staff presentation and board discussion at the Feb. 10 FY26 work session/public hearing. No formal roll‑call vote on the FY26 submission was recorded in the meeting transcript.