Henrico County Public Schools holds FY27 budget input session; resident urges clearer breakdowns and restraint

Henrico County Public Schools staff opened a public input session on the fiscal year 2027 budget with a brief presentation of the district's current operating figures and the calendar for adoption, followed by a single public commenter who urged clearer disclosure and firmer priorities.

Mr. Wack, a Henrico County Public Schools staff member, told the board the system's current operating budget is "approximately $944,000,000, 764,000,000 of which is in our general fund," and that "a little over 56" percent of general fund revenue comes from state funds. He said more than 75% of general fund spending is in instruction. He also outlined the budget schedule: the superintendent's recommended budget will be presented on Jan. 22, a public hearing will be held Feb. 12, the school board will consider approval on Feb. 26, and the board intends to adopt the final budget at its April 16 meeting.

Marlene Sherlock, who identified herself as a Fairfield District resident, used her three minutes of public comment to criticize the materials and ask for greater transparency. She said the district's graphics appear to be reused year to year and "do not really tell us the public anything," and asked the board to provide concrete, costed choices so the public can meaningfully weigh trade-offs rather than respond to a single request for more money. "It's really hard to discern what we're actually spending on technology," Sherlock said, noting that computer, software and service costs appear scattered across line items.

Sherlock pressed for a clearer personnel expense breakdown, asking how much is spent on in-classroom teachers and aides versus support staff, administration and central office. She also urged the board to "find a room in your budget for that extra $15,000,000 of mechanical funding you were going to ask for," and to present a plan to address the "more than half of our schools that are off track or need intense support." She warned against relying solely on county, state or federal funds.

No formal motions or votes were taken during the public input session; the moderator closed the session and noted the monthly work session would begin at 6:30 p.m. The transcript provided for this session does not specify the meeting date.

The district's next procedural steps on the FY27 calendar, as announced in the presentation, are the superintendent's recommendation (Jan. 22), a public hearing (Feb. 12), board consideration (Feb. 26) and final adoption (April 16).