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Culpeper schools report lower student count, $1.4 million state funding shortfall for FY26
Summary
Finance staff told the board the division’s adjusted average daily membership was 8,164 versus a budgeted 8,340, a 176-student shortfall that translates to an estimated roughly $1.4 million reduction in state funding for next fiscal year.
Culpeper County Public Schools reported a drop in student enrollment that reduces projected state revenues for fiscal year 2026, finance staff said during the May 12 school board meeting.
A finance presenter told the school board the division’s adjusted average daily membership (ADM) was 8,164 against a budgeted 8,340, creating a 176-student shortfall. Using the division’s state share per pupil figure of $7,835, the presenter said the shortfall equates to “nearly a $1,400,000 shortfall in our budget.”
The presenter described how the division plans to offset the revenue gap: federal funds and county contributions will cover part of the reduction and the remainder will be managed through expenditure savings. The presenter noted county funding covers the local share and that federal program revenue and expenditure savings would be used to narrow the gap.
Key numbers and trends noted in the meeting: - Adjusted ADM: 8,164 (presented as the March 31 adjusted number). - Budgeted ADM: 8,340. - Student shortfall: 176 students. - State share per pupil: $7,835 (figure cited by finance staff). - Estimated state funding shortfall: roughly $1.4 million. - Year-to-date expenditures were presented as trending below the prior year; the presenter noted overall expenditures at about 76% of the budget with a remaining balance shown as roughly 24% (the presenter also referenced a remaining balance figure of approximately $29,000,000).
Food service: staff said meal participation rose after offering free breakfast and lunch at the high school, and food-service spending is trending slightly higher than the prior year. The presenter reported the food service budget at about $3,800,000 and noted that expenditures were about 81% of that budget.
What the board heard: finance staff framed the shortfall as manageable with county support and federal funds, plus expenditure savings. The presentation emphasized the county’s role in covering the local share and that the division is monitoring expenditures to offset the state revenue decline.
The board did not take formal budget action at the May 12 meeting beyond accepting the informational finance report; the division will present final budgets and implementation steps in follow-up materials and future meetings.
Provenance: finance update and numbers were presented during the operations/finance portion of the May 12 meeting.
