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Accomack schools present FY26 budget with $1.46 million shortfall; parents and staff press for music, athletics and nurse support
Summary
Superintendent staff and school leaders presented a proposed FY26 spending plan that includes personnel requests and a $1.46 million projected shortfall. Parents and teachers used the public hearing to press for year‑round band, more athletic staff and additional clinic support.
The Accomack County School Board opened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal-year 2026 budget on Feb. 4 where central-office staff and school leaders described personnel requests, one-time capital purchases and a carryforward plan while officials said the draft is about $1.46 million short of balanced.
Board budget analyst Miss Oley presented the main items the superintendent and central staff had recommended, saying the draft emphasizes salaries and targeted additions, including an added athletic director position at Chincoteague High School and requests for three new full‑time teachers split across the two mainland high schools. The division also included a capital improvement plan with an FY26 column of $1,035,000 that would be part of a proposed carryforward plan.
The shortfall and staffing requests framed much of the public comment and school presentations.
During the hearing residents and school staff urged the board to prioritize extracurriculars and student support. Parent Shelly Studebaker told the board Chincoteague needs a gym to sustain middle‑school sports such as volleyball, saying a lack of gym space limits opportunities for island students. Resident Hannah O’Toole urged the board to fund a full‑time band teacher at each middle and high school or else redesign schedules so students do not go months without instruction; she also asked for better instrument repair funding and a rental program.
Miranda Dunston, PTA president at Chincoteague, also asked the board to approve an athletic director position and to consider a part‑time assistant principal split between elementary schools to relieve disciplinary and counseling burdens. Arcadia Middle School principal Trey Haney and three school representatives — a parent, the student body president and a sixth‑grade teacher — described classroom and extracurricular programs and needs at their school, noting successful after‑school programs, field trips and academic supports including a new reading specialist and power‑reading elective.
School health coordinator Lori Blair presented data on clinic visits and staffing. Blair said clinics recorded 26,551 visits in the fall semester (an average of about 316 visits per school day across the division) and recommended funding a second nurse or clinic assistant at sites averaging more than 25 visits per day; she said adding clinic staff would also create capacity to begin Medicaid billing the division is currently missing.
Oley and other staff confirmed a number of one‑time purchases and facility items were being proposed for carryforward funding rather than the operating budget, and she said the proposed budget includes planning for a potential increase in the base hourly rate if the board later approves that step. Oley also said previously unfilled positions were only partially restored in the draft and the division had assumed bringing back roughly 35% of vacancies when calculating available resources.
The board indicated it will take the hearing comments into account and hold further budget work sessions before adopting a final plan.
Ending: The board closed the public hearing after hearing from the school delegation and community members. Staff indicated another work session will be scheduled so the board can review remaining departmental presentations and consider options to close the $1.46 million gap.
