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Teachers, PTA and residents urge Roanoke council to restore school funding, warn of cuts' harms
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the Dec. 15 council meeting — including Roanoke Educators Association leaders, teachers and the PTA — urged the council to reverse proposed cuts to the school funding formula, warning that making reduced funding permanent would lead to staffing losses, larger class sizes and reduced supports.
Several educators, a PTA representative and other residents used the Dec. 15 public‑comment period to press Roanoke City Council to restore a prior funding formula for Roanoke City Public Schools.
Matthew Placido, interim vice president of the Roanoke Educators Association and a teacher at William Fleming High School, urged the council to reconsider making last year’s reduced funding formula permanent. "Choosing make last year's reduced funding formula permanent would amount to another real cut at precisely the moment our schools can least afford it," Placido said, warning of staffing cuts, larger classes and diminished student supports.
Dr. Jack Leff, a high‑school biology and environmental science teacher, said the district is Title I and described daily class sizes "well over 30," calling a proposed 6% funding cut "catastrophic" for classroom supports and teacher retention. Rebecca Murphy, vice president of communications for the Roanoke City Central Council of PTAs, asked council to honor a 40% funding model that previously allowed the district to share in revenue growth and called for predictability and transparency on school‑city financial arrangements.
Commenters noted additional issues: Placido and others said federal Title I reductions increase the need for local investment; Murphy asked for clear criteria and timely processing for school applications for surplus funds (true‑up funds). Other public commenters used the time to raise planning and permitting concerns; a contractor described lengthy permit turnaround times and urged the city to staff the Building Department to speed processing.
Council members thanked speakers and acknowledged the difficult tradeoffs in the city budget; no formal council decision on the funding formula was made at the meeting. Council scheduled further meetings and a closed session for Dec. 22 but did not vote on the school funding formula that night.
