Charlottesville schools ask city for $2.9M to fund 10.5% raise for support staff; council weighs options
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Summary
Charlottesville City Schools told a joint school board/city council session it is seeking $2.9 million from the city to fund a tentative collective-bargaining agreement that would give support professionals a 10.5% raise; city staff said $2 million is currently in the draft city budget, leaving roughly a $900,000 gap.
Charlottesville City Schools on Feb. 9 asked the city for $2.9 million to cover a tentative collective-bargaining agreement that would give support professionals (instructional assistants, custodians, cafeteria staff and similar positions) a 10.5% raise, Superintendent Dr. Sam Gurley told a joint work session of the school board and city council.
The request comes as the division grapples with enrollment-driven reductions in state aid and other cost pressures. "That agreement would give a 10 and a half percent raise to support professionals, each for the next 3 years," Gurley said during the presentation, adding that the bargaining unit will vote on the tentative agreement and the board plans to approve its budget on Feb. 19.
Why it matters: The raise would affect hundreds of support staff whose members and union representatives told the joint meeting they often work second jobs or struggle to cover basic expenses. City staff said the city currently has $2 million in its draft budget earmarked for the schools, so council and staff must decide whether and how to close an approximate $900,000 gap between that figure and the district's request.
The board presented the budget case with several specific line items and savings proposals. Gurley said licensed staff increases of 5.5% would cost roughly $2.7 million; the 10.5% support-staff increase shown in the draft collective-bargaining agreement corresponds to an estimated $1,375,000 for the support personnel line. Personnel reconfiguration would eliminate 10 FTEs and generate about $1.1 million in savings, and vacancy savings of roughly $1.38 million are included in the projection.
City staff outlined the municipal budget context. A city representative told the joint session the city is "feverishly working towards balancing the budget" for presentation to council on March 2 and that "at this moment, we have $2,000,000 baked into the budget for an increase for the schools' ask." That leaves a roughly $900,000 difference between the division's request and current city planning. City staff and councilors discussed revenue levers including real estate, personal property, lodging and meals taxes and noted the city is approaching fiscal stress limits on taxation.
Other costs and constraints outlined by the division included a state Local Composite Index (LCI) change that lowered Charlottesville's state aid and enrollment declines (Gurley said fall membership declined by 86 students to 4,357 in FY26), both of which reduce state funding. The presentation also included contract increases for city maintenance (about $232,000) and transportation (about $238,000), with school transportation staff noting the current cost estimates assume the status quo and that additional asks could follow if the district changes its bus-driver staffing model to address chronic vacancies.
Next steps: Gurley said the board aims to approve its budget on Feb. 19 and bring the full budget to the board on March 3. City staff said they will continue to evaluate options ahead of the city's budget presentation to council on March 2.
No formal vote on funding was taken at the Feb. 9 joint session. The boards approved routine procedural motions at the meeting's start, including votes to permit two members to participate virtually and to approve the meeting agenda.
