York County superintendent proposes $206 million FY27 budget with 3.25% pay increase and targeted investments

Superintendent Dr. Carroll on Feb. 9 presented the York County School Division's proposed FY27 operating budget, a plan he said aligns spending with the division's strategic priorities and preserves investments in staff and core services. The proposal, based on the governor's budget and internal savings, totals just under $206,000,000 and represents a roughly 3.3% increase over the current year.

Carroll said the proposal centers on four priorities: collective commitment, supportive culture, highly effective talent and future-ready graduates. "Public education is vital to the American experience," Carroll told the board as he outlined the budget rationale and the need to reflect expanded responsibilities in staffing, safety and student supports.

Finance director Mister Bowen previewed revenue assumptions that underpin the plan, saying the governor's proposal would increase state revenue to the division by about $6,280,000 (roughly 5.5%), and the county administrator had provided a working local support estimate of $1,200,000 (1.8%). Bowen said projected total revenue increases of about $6,530,000 yield nearly $9.1 million in net additional resources once expenditure savings are included.

Bowen pointed to several cost reductions that helped free money for new investments: planned attrition savings ($350,000), IT systems consolidation ($315,000) and a projected 2% reduction in Virginia Retirement System pension rates ($1,900,000). "So the total decreases of expenditures are $2,500,000," Bowen said, producing funds available for allocation alongside state and local increases.

On compensation, Carroll proposed a 3.25% increase on average for licensed and nonlicensed staff. He described different step increases across salary groups and said the proposal includes market adjustments for paraeducators (2%), bus assistants and custodians (2.5%), and a one-time reclassification to convert 41 special-education paraeducators in self-contained classrooms into "student support technicians," a measure estimated to cost $246,000 to implement.

Carroll also recommended modest operational investments and replacements: an expanded IT hardware refresh to stabilize device replacement cycles, funding for an ASHRAE-certified HVAC technician and materials to meet new state indoor-air-quality requirements, a security platform to streamline lockdown and reunification processes, and an increase in school nutrition and maintenance reserves to support recurring costs.

The superintendent noted grant transitions and placeholders in the plan. The division would absorb some grant-funded positions into the operating budget (about $204,000 annually) and include contingency placeholders for potential collective bargaining administrative costs and the possible addition of lacrosse as a VHSL sport (startup estimated at roughly $275,000 with about $50,000 recurring).

Carroll said health-care costs remain an open issue and directed staff to task consultants with identifying options to reduce employer and employee costs by at least $2,000,000 before finalizing the budget. "The future of health-care costs are only rising," he said, and he suggested changes may be necessary to reach the savings target.

Next steps: Carroll reviewed the budget calendar and asked staff to refine requests for the public hearing on Feb. 23, a March 9 work session, proposed-budget adoption March 23 and final adoption May 18. Board members praised the conservative approach and asked staff to clarify health-insurance scenarios and any impacts to program delivery.

The proposed FY27 operating budget is now available for public comment and will be adjusted as state revenue actions and board direction evolve before final adoption.