Loudoun County School Board presents $1.96 billion FY26 operating budget, cites compensation and special‑education costs as primary drivers

The Loudoun County School Board presented its adopted fiscal year 2026 operating budget to the Board of Supervisors on March 3, 2025, asking the county to transfer $123.4 million to fully fund the school division’s estimate of needs while noting new state budget adjustments that could reduce that request.

The presentation, delivered by Superintendent Dr. Spence, outlined an operating fund that includes 13,470.5 full‑time equivalent positions and a roughly $131.8 million increase—about 7.2%—over FY25. “The budget presented tonight is generally based on the second method,” Dr. Spence said, describing the approach of balancing strategic priorities with anticipated federal, state and local revenues.

Why it matters: Personnel costs account for the vast majority of the increase. The division says $120.4 million of the increase is for personnel (including compensation and benefits), and that approximately 94% of new or existing FTEs are school‑facing. School leaders told supervisors the combination of step increases, a proposed 4% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) on universal and auxiliary salary scales, and enrollment shifts in higher‑cost student cohorts (special education and English learners) are the primary budget pressures.

Major figures and drivers

- Total operating FTEs: 13,470.5 (the presentation noted 13,060.1 as the FY25 base). - Adopted FY26 operating budget increase: $131.8 million (7.2%). - County transfer requested to fully fund…