Finance committee warns of roughly $230,000 state funding shortfall tied to lower ADM

The Clarke County Public Schools finance committee reported Nov. 17 that the district now projects about $230,000 less in state revenue for fiscal year 2026 due to a lower average daily membership (ADM) projection.

Mr. Nucci, reporting the finance committee update, said the district had budgeted FY26 state revenue assuming an ADM of roughly 1,850 but received outside estimates from Weldon Cooper and the Virginia Department of Education of about 1,910 and 1,930; the district’s observed ADM is now near 1,825. "Right now, we're projecting about $230,000 less in state funding than where we thought we'd be at the beginning of the fiscal year," Nucci said, attributing most of the change to headcount/ADM adjustments.

Nucci explained how ADM affects state funding — higher ADM yields more state dollars — and described the difficulty of estimating ADM, noting differences in methodology across localities and the example of county‑by‑county variation discussed at a recent Virginia Association of School Business Officials (VASBO) conference. He said the district will monitor enrollment and other indicators and update revenue projections as new information becomes available.

In the committee summary, revised estimated total revenue fell to about $29,600,000 from an initial estimate of $29,800,000. Nucci said local funding lines (dual enrollment, tuition for private services) remain under review and that the district is only five months into the fiscal year, so adjustments may follow.

There was no formal board action recorded on the revenue projection at the meeting; the finance committee presented the update for the board’s information and said it will continue tracking ADM and associated revenue assumptions.