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School board approves superintendent’s FY2025–26 budget with 4% pay increase and insurance changes
Summary
The Colonial Heights School Board voted to adopt the superintendent’s proposed FY2025–26 budget, raising staff pay 4% across the board, adding a third health-insurance plan and adjusting the school division’s contribution rates. The board also kept a multi‑million dollar contingency to buffer federal and facilities uncertainty.
The Colonial Heights School Board on Jan. 25 approved the superintendent’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget, including a 4% pay increase for all staff and changes to health-insurance plans and employer contribution rates.
The superintendent told the board the original proposal — reviewed in January and at a February work session — started with a 3% salary increase and a projection of a 23.7% rise in health-insurance costs. The board voted to increase the overall pay package to 4% across staff, which the superintendent said adds roughly $1.5 million to the budget compared with the earlier 3% plan.
The budget also adds a third insurance option described by staff as a $1,500 plan intended to lower monthly premiums for employees. Board members approved modest increases in the division’s contribution toward premiums: the employer share for individual coverage moved from 90% to 91%, employee-and-spouse from 72% to 74%, and employee-and-children from 65% to 68%.
“These changes are intended to help with retention and recruitment while minimizing the risk that individual employees will see their take-home pay fall next year,” the superintendent said during the presentation.
Board members discussed contingency funding and long-term facility needs. The superintendent said the proposed contingency started at $2.9 million in January, was reduced by adjustments that removed about $470,000, and could increase if the governor’s finalized budget provides additional state funds. Staff projected a possible net contingency of roughly $3.1 million if anticipated state dollars are confirmed.
Board members emphasized the district’s focus on sustaining staff pay and building a reserve to cover uncertain federal funding and unanticipated facility repairs. The board approved the budget by roll-call voice vote after a motion and second; all members voting were recorded as “yes.”
The board’s packet described a number of new or expanded positions included in the proposal: an additional divisionwide English-as-a-second-language teacher, three special-education teachers, two special-education care professionals, a middle-school math teacher, a school counselor, bus-driver positions, a high-school cafeteria worker and additional stipends to support extracurricular learning. Staff said those positions respond to enrollment and special-education needs.
The board also approved steps to help employees compare plans: staff said the district will host presentations and one-on-one sessions with the benefits vendor and provide an online decision tool (referred to in the meeting as Deploy Navigator).
A final budget adoption schedule and implementation dates were not specified during the meeting.
