Virginia Beach schools outline budget calendar and early impacts of governor’s proposal

Crystal Pate, chief financial officer for Virginia Beach City Public Schools, gave a high‑level overview of the division’s budget process and the state timeline during the Jan. 14 administrative and workshop meeting. She said the superintendent’s estimate of needs (SEAN) and the capital improvement program will be presented to the board on Feb. 11 and cautioned that state revenue figures may change as the General Assembly works toward a final budget.

The presentation outlined how school budgets resemble household budgets—matching revenues to prioritized spending—but stressed important differences: school budgets rely on federal, state and local streams; staffing drives costs; and the division’s personnel costs are large. “For Virginia Beach City Public Schools staffing comprises around 85% of our operating budget,” Pate said. She also noted the division’s personnel data for the 2025–26 budget were captured from the position management system on Nov. 1 and will be reconciled to prior adopted budgets as part of SEAN development.

Why it matters: major revenue and policy decisions at the state level determine how much local school divisions must request from city governments and how much they receive directly. Pate said the division anticipates an overall revenue increase of approximately $30,100,000 for…