Petersburg CFO briefs board on FY26 finances; members press to fund rising transportation costs and close grant reimbursements

Dr. Matthias Greenwood, chief financial officer for Petersburg City Public Schools, told the school board on Oct. 15 that the division’s FY26 finances are largely on track but that transportation costs, grant reimbursements and targeted investments will require attention as the district builds its FY27 budget.

Greenwood said the division’s FY26 all-funds budget is about $91.99 million, with year-to-date expenses near $25.3 million. He reported a FY26 city transfer budget of $12,980,000, of which three installments totaling $3,240,000 have been received, leaving $9,730,000 outstanding. General-fund instruction is budgeted at $48.2 million, with roughly $10.47 million spent to date.

Those high-level figures, Greenwood said, “reflect the transfers we’ve received so far from the city” and the division’s current spending across major funds such as food service, grants and Head Start. He added, “For Head Start (federal) personnel, we budgeted $1,330,000 and have spent about $184,000; overall Head Start federal and nonfederal totals are about $1,750,000 with roughly $242,000 expended so far.”

Why it matters: the board must set FY27 priorities within a limited revenue ceiling. Greenwood and budget staff stressed that salaries, benefits and SOQ-required positions consume the bulk of the division budget—leaving discretionary dollars for priorities such as…