Dr. Poole presented the Wythe County Public Schools FY26 budget book to the Wythe County Board of Supervisors at the Oct. 28 meeting, saying the operating budget no longer includes one-time construction and federal money and thus represents normal recurring operations. He told the board the division recently completed a major building project with a reported total cost of roughly $29 million and reviewed staffing, program expansions and student-achievement data.

Why it matters: The update outlines how routine operations will be funded without one-time construction dollars, highlights programs intended to increase local workforce readiness and frames the school division's request to give citizens the option to vote on a local sales tax for capital needs.

Key points: Dr. Poole said Wythe County ranked 17th in Virginia on Standards of Learning (SOL) performance despite weather-related lost days last year. He described multiple career-pathway and professional-development efforts, including GoTech at all three middle schools, expanded manufacturing and health-care pathways, a teaching-apprenticeship/grow-your-own program in partnership with regional universities, the Hills program (a regional governor's-school‑style health-care track), and continued partnerships with Wytheville Community College (WCC). He also said the division used grant funding to retain job coaches and JVG (Jobs for Virginia Graduates) positions and maintained reading coaches, math specialists and behavior/intervention positions (RBT/BCBA) and a substance-abuse prevention specialist.

Dr. Poole and the board discussed facilities and capital needs. He described completed work and ongoing maintenance (roof replacements, stadium lights at Fort Chiswell, George Wythe and River Retreat high schools, updated buzz-in and camera systems, and interactive classroom displays). He said the division provided a minimum 3% raise last year, funded in part with local support. He asked the board to support allowing a 1¢ local sales-tax option to appear on a ballot so citizens could vote on funding for future projects; he framed that as a tool to accelerate projects like those planned at Spiller and Fort Chiswell.

Federal funds and uncertainty: Dr. Poole noted the division receives sizable federal allocations for specific programs, which he identified in the meeting as “Title I and Title 6b.” He said those program-specific federal funds were available at the time of the presentation but cautioned availability could change.

Cannery and site questions: Board members and Dr. Poole discussed the county cannery facility (location, age and plumbing concerns). Dr. Poole said staff toured the cannery and that relocation options and grant opportunities are being explored; no formal relocation decision or funding was adopted at the meeting.

What was not decided: The board received the budget presentation and asked questions but did not adopt any new tax or capital measures at the meeting. Dr. Poole asked for continued dialogue and invited supervisors to submit questions to the school office.

Sources: Presentation by Dr. Poole at Wythe County Board of Supervisors meeting, Oct. 28, 2025 (transcript).