Frederick County School Board hears wide-ranging budget concerns at FY2027 public hearing

FREDERICK COUNTY, Va. — The Frederick County School Board on Feb. 3 opened a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget and heard pleas from staff and residents for targeted investments in nutrition services, transportation, school safety, human resources and early childhood education.

Speakers representing school employees and community members described infrastructure and staffing shortfalls that, they said, undermine operations and student services. “How do you perform your job serving nutritious meals when all you have is an oven to cook food in?” said Troy Robinson, who urged capital investment for kitchens, better training for facilities staff and budget line items to support school meals. Robinson said equipment outages at Stonewall left staff relying on ovens and paper trays and that aging equipment increases operating costs and staff stress.

The hearing drew a range of division employees. Chad Fisher, instructional technology coach at James Wood High School, urged continued funding for devices, software and professional development, saying classroom technology (CAD, 3-D printing and virtual-reality simulations) requires sustained training so tools are used to advance learning rather than merely replace older methods. Kathy Fink, an HR employment analyst, said the HR office of about 10 people supports more than 3,000 employees and processed roughly 200 hires and 100 transfers this year; she asked the board to consider staffing to reduce overtime and bottlenecks during rapid hiring periods.

Safety and transportation officials described operational risks tied to aging infrastructure. “We need to complete the door-lock project that we started in 2024,” said Beth Williamson, safety and security analyst, who also requested wider rollout of fob-access exterior doors, improved perimeter fencing and upgraded public-address systems. Williamson said the division serves more than 14,500 students and 2,500 staff and that current security-staff pay is lower than neighboring districts.

Transportation staff described a stressed fleet. “Each day, FCPS transportation serves more than 10,000 students traveling nearly 10,000 miles daily,” said Kevin Papp, a transportation supervisor, who reported that more than 50 buses were decommissioned over two years because of mechanical failure and structural rust and that many remaining buses are older than 20 years and some exceed 300,000 miles. Heavy-duty mechanic Eric Kidwell said the variety of makes and models and limited technician staffing hinder preventive maintenance, and driver Martin Thompson said obsolete on-bus camera systems and a lack of spares make incident review and safe operations harder.

Teachers and early-childhood staff also spoke. Kyle Mackey urged competitive teacher pay, insurance premium assistance and a meaningful cost-of-living adjustment to retain staff. Angela White, early childhood supervisor, asked the board to add one Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) classroom for 2026–27; she said the division currently serves 72 identified at-risk children in four combined classrooms and maintains a wait list, with some families turned away because of where they live.

Board members responded by thanking speakers and urging continued storytelling to the community and the Board of Supervisors to support funding. One board member characterized the proposed budget as “needs-based” and said the board largely supports its passage.

Procedural actions at the meeting included a voice vote to approve the meeting agenda at the start of the session and a later motion to adjourn; both motions were made, seconded, and carried by voice votes. The public hearing was closed after the last call for speakers. The record does not show a final board vote on the FY2027 budget; next procedural steps and the exact date of the board’s final budget action were not specified in the hearing record.

The school board accepts public comment during budget hearings before taking formal action; the record shows the board will consider the testimony as it develops a final proposal for the Board of Supervisors and future votes.